ART is a patented, state-of-the-art soft tissue system that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fascitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they often result from injury to overused muscles.Developed by Colorado Springs chiropractor Dr. Mike Leahy. Active Release Techniques (ART) is proving to be highly successful in helping people recover from a variety of chronic pain conditions and athletic injuries. Dr. Leahy developed the specialized techniques after studying the properties of injured muscle during his internship in Los Angeles in the early 1980s. Drawing upon his background as an aeronautical engineer and test pilot, Dr. Leahy developed a unique perspective on soft tissue injuries. He believed that the same mechanism that governs the flight of an airplane also affects movement in the human body. He began to study how soft tissues healed and the relationships of tissues that moved against each other. This included muscle, tendons (hold muscle to bone), ligaments (hold bone to bone), fascia (the layer of connective tissue that surrounds muscles), and nerves. Combining this knowledge with the touch and sensitivity he learned at Chiropractic College, Leahy began to develop what is now known as Active Release Techniques.

Benefits of ART

Overused muscles and other soft tissues can be affected in three ways:• Acute injuries such as pulls, tears, and collisions• Accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma) caused by repetitive motions• Not getting enough oxygen (hypoxia) due to restriction of blood flowEach of these mechanisms of injury 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 these “adhesions” build 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 numbness and tingling.

How is ART different from massage therapy ?

ART is uniquely different from deep tissue massage, trigger point therapy or myofascial release. It uses patented techniques that use specific tension applied to problem areas combined with precise body movements to release adhesions within and between tissue.Releasing these adhesions is the key to this technique. Imagine two pieces of steak stuck together with Velcro and you get a rough idea. If any discomfort is felt during the process, it’s usually described as, “a good hurt”. In the majority of cases, significant relief is felt after the first ART treatment.