Locates and treats recent or old muscle injuries manually.
It is an American chiropractor, Micheal Leahy D.C., who developed this method of analysis and this system of soft tissue treatment. The method can treat chronic lesions of a muscle, tendon, ligament, fascia or nerve. Michael Leahy has named this method Active Release Techniques or ART. The technique is based on a solid scientific background combined with several years of practical application.
This technique is widely used, among others, in the sports field. Indeed, many athletes, who submit their body to intensive training, use this type of treatment to facilitate the healing of injuries, but also to optimize their performance. ART can also be suitable for workers performing repetitive movements and for people with injuries resulting from activities of daily living.
The tissues constituting the human body are capable of a certain amount of work without hurting themselves. They may sustain an injury due to intense stress or repeated stress, when there is a decrease in oxygen supply due to prolonged contraction or repeated friction between different tissues.
The healing of these wounds, however small, is done by healing. This scar tissue, formed by adhesions and fibrosis, causes the tissue to lose elasticity. The structure is thus shortened, weakened and sometimes even painful. For example, a healthy muscle could be compared to an elastic, while a healed muscle acts like a tightrope. A muscle that loses flexibility as a result of scarring is more likely to injure again or to promote an underlying condition such as tendonitis or numbness.
If pain persists and you need help, our multidisciplinary team will be able to get you back on track quickly.
The purpose of the treatment is to locate and manually break adhesions and restrictions in the muscles, tendons or ligaments as well as in the associated nerves. They will thus be able to find their texture, their movement, their flexibility, thus their optimal functioning. ART can thus resolve the cause of several dysfunctions by bringing more than just a decrease in symptoms.
During treatment, the patient makes a specific movement while the chiropractor makes contact with the abnormal tissue and generates tension at the injured location. It should be noted that this can create temporary discomfort because this tension breaks the scar and allows the muscle to heal while maintaining its flexibility.
Of similar appearance, the procedures as well as the results are very different. Massage methods will promote relaxation and muscle relaxation. ART aims instead to correct dysfunctions caused by adhesions and scar tissue. The treatment of ART can not therefore be considered as a massage technique, but can be complementary to it.
In order to benefit from effective treatment, it is important to consult certified chiropracticians in active release techniques, a new approach to analyzing and treating musculoskeletal conditions.
Our multidisciplinary sport medecine team will be happy to help you. Contact us for all your questions or to book an appointment.