Active Release Techniques treatment is a hands-on touch and case-management system that allows a practitioner to diagnose and treat soft tissue injuries. Soft tissue refers primarily to muscle, tendon, fascia and nerves. Specific injuries that apply are repetitive strains, adhesions, tissue hypoxia, and joint dysfunction. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly with ART.
How do overuse conditions occur?
Over-used muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:
Acute conditions (pulls, tears, collisions, etc),
Accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)
Not getting enough oxygen (hypoxia).
Each of these factors can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.