Active Release Therapy
Chloë Tudor, RMT
What is ART?
Active Release Techniques (ART) is a non-invasive soft tissue technique used to treat chronic problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and fascia. It breaks down scar tissue and adhesions improving the mobility of the tissue, especially in a sprain/strain injury.
Scar tissue is a dense fibrous tissue which is the body naturally forms through the healing process of damaged tissue. Unfortunately, it’s much less functional than the tissue it replaces and the fibres do not align parallel to each other, which may cause pain and dysfunction in the tissue.
ART is performed by taking the affected tissue into a shortened position while applying tension on the affected area. The combination of the stretch and tension applied to the tissue forces the scar tissue and adhesions to break down and disperse. This results in restoring mobility, increasing circulation, and increasing neurological function to the tissue which will decrease pain, and increasing range of motion and strength.
Some common conditions ART can treat include
- carpal tunnel syndrome
- thoracic outlet syndrome
- rotator cuff tendonitis
- sciatica
- shin splints
- headaches
- plantar fasciitis
- tennis elbow
- low back pain
- overuse injuries
- Re-Build Yourself.
Chloë is a registered massage therapist at Foundation Physiotherapy. She has a special interest in treating overuse and athletic injuries. She uses active therapy regularly to help rehabilitate her clients’ injuries.