Whether you are an elite athlete, a weekend warrior, or just someone who tries to keep in shape as much as possible, there is a decent chance that you will suffer an injury at some point. Traditional treatments, such as rest, ice, stretching, etc. will take care of many minor aches and pains. However, if your injury persists, you might want to try something a little different.
What is Active Release Techniques®?
The first thing to do, as with anything medical in nature, is to talk to your doctor; and when you do, ask him or her about Active Release Techniques®, or ART®. It is a relatively new soft tissue (muscles, tendons, fascias, ligaments, nerves) massage and management technique developed and founded by Dr. Michael Leahy, DC, CSSP, which is used to treat injuries to the soft tissues of the body.
What Injuries Does ART® Treat?
When a person first starts a training regimen, or drastically increases their training tempo, the body cannot always keep up. This can lead to overuse injuries of the soft tissues, which can be very painful, prevent you from exercising, and persist for a long period of time if left untreated. ART® has been proven to quickly heal over 90% of these types of injuries.
How do I know all this? Well, I have been a patient receiving ART® treatments for the last nine months. But I just said that ART® was quick, right? Well, I had let a foot injury go untreated (or undertreated) for over a year and a half. In that time, my body naturally adjusted to the injury, which created more problems. I am now in the later stages of my treatment, and have partially returned to the sports that I love to play, including running and surfing.
What Does ART® Feel Like?
So, what is an ART® treatment session like? Well, mine have all been similar. The therapist starts by asking questions and feeling the injured area. They have been trained to know what healthy and unhealthy tissues feel like, and are very good at quickly identifying the area that needs work. They then put pressure on different parts of the affected tissue, and then move the attached limb through specific ranges of movement to stretch the tissue and help stretch the tissue, break up any scar tissue, and just help it heal back into healthy tissue.
Now let me tell you, an ART® treatment is not pain-free; in fact, if the therapist can re-create the original pain, then you have a good indication that they are doing the right thing. The good news is that the pain fades quickly, and there are no other adverse side affects to the treatment.
ART® has shown to be an effective treatment for a wide range of overuse injuries, including back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow. So if you are not getting the healing results that you would like to see with your current treatments, talk to your doctor about Active Release Techniques® – It might just be the treatment you have been looking for.
(As stated before, consult your doctor before starting any treatment or exercise program.)
Tags: Active Release Techniques, ART treatment, plantar fascitis