Active Release Technique (ART) treats your body’s soft tissue by combining manipulation and movement. The technique’s been around for more than 30 years.
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Alan Sigler at Muscle Medic is an ART provider, as such Alan identifies, isolates, and targets the affected area to break up scar tissue. This promotes blood flow and faster healing of injuries. ART can be used to treat problems with your:
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muscles
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ligaments
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tendons
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nerves
A.R.T. benefits
EXPLAINED
What conditions are treated?
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lower back pain
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chronic neck pain
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tension headaches
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shoulder strains, including frozen shoulder
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carpal tunnel syndrome
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shin splints
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sciatic nerve pain
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plantar fasciitis
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bursitis
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tennis elbow
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What body parts are treated?
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ART can be used to treat pain and other symptoms caused by injury or damage to:
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Fascia. This is fibrous connective tissue that protects and supports muscles and organs throughout your body. Inflammation across a band of fascia tissue can cause extreme pain and stiffness. Plantar fasciitis is a common fascia tissue condition.
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Major muscle groups. Strains and pulls from overuse or trauma can affect any of your major muscle groups. This includes muscles in your neck and shoulders, back, and hamstrings.
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Tendons and ligaments. Tendons connect muscles to bone and ligaments connect bone to bone. Injury to either can cause pain and decrease range of motion.
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How active release technique works?
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ART works by breaking up adhesions, which are dense collections of scar tissue that form when muscles and connective tissues are injured. When the scar tissue binds between your muscles, it limits flexibility, causing pain and stiffness in muscles and joints.
Sometimes adhesions can also entrap nerves. The manipulation of the soft tissues through ART breaks up the adhesions so your muscles, joints, and nerves can move freely again.
During an ART session, your healthcare provider will feel the area and identify the location of the scar tissue. They’ll use the technique to isolate and target the area, manipulating it to break up the scar tissue and restore proper blood flow so the area can heal.
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Signs you may have scar tissue
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The following are signs that you may have an accumulation of scar tissue that may benefit from ART:
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stiffness in your neck, elbow, hands, knees, or back
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increased pain when exercising
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sharp pain in the bottom of your foot near the heel
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pain, numbness, and tingling in your fingers
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reduced flexibility and limited range of motion
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decreased strength
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inflamed joints
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tingling, numbness, or weakness
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What a client can expect from active release technique?
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ART involves very precise pressure and can be very painful. If you have a low tolerance for pain then you’ll likely find a treatment session to be uncomfortable.
It can work in as little as one session for some, though some people may need more than one. Client can recieve treatment fully clothed in loose, athletic wear or can be fully drapped with a sheet.