What Is ART?

Active Release Technique A.R.T. is a state-of-the-art manual therapy modality that addresses problems caused by damage to muscles, ligaments, fascia, and nerves. 

What is the history of Active Release Technique?

Dr. Michael Leahy, DC, Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician, developed A.R.T. after recognizing that his patients weren't healing from injuries very quickly and that their symptoms seemed related to changes in their soft tissue that he could feel by hand. By observing how muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, and nerves responded to different types of work, Dr. Leahy could resolve over 90% of his patient's issues. He now teaches and certifies healthcare providers around the world to use A.R.T.

Why is Active Release Technique (A.R.T.) beneficial to Individuals, Athletes, and Patients?

Our bodies should move freely; A.R.T combines that movement with soft tissue manipulation! A.R.T. is a soft tissue system/movement-based massage technique that addresses problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves. 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 A.R.T. can resolve quickly and permanently. These conditions often have one thing in common: overused muscles.

HOW DO OVERUSE CONDITIONS OCCUR?

Over-used muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three ways:

• acute conditions (pulls, tears, collisions, etc)

• accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)

• not getting enough oxygen (hypoxia)

Each of the above 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, which can cause a reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. When these soft tissues get stuck, they can entrap nerves that can cause numbness, tingling, shooting pains and burning sensations in other parts of the body.

WHAT IS AN ART® TREATMENT LIKE?

Every A.R.T. session is a combination of examination and treatment. The A.R.T. provider uses their hands to evaluate the muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. Abnormal tissues get treated by combining precise and directed tension with specific patient movements.

These treatment protocols – over 500 specific moves – are unique to A.R.T. They allow providers to identify and correct the specific problems that affect each patient. A.R.T. is not a cookie-cutter approach.