The Benefits of Active Release Technique™
Dr. Joseph Vistitsky is an ART certified provider for the last 9 years. He has treated most difficult conditions that fail to respond to conventional medicine, surgery, physical therapy and other alternative treatments. His patients have had lower back bain, carpal tunnel syndrome before and after surgery, headaches, atheletes with various sport injuries and reparative trauma. Dr. Joseph Vistitsky received hands-on training with Dr. Michael Leahy, founder of ART treatment.
- Pain Relief – ART can provide pain relief that other approaches don’t.
- Fast Relief – Patients are often impressed by the quick results ART delivers. Of course, the severity of the injury, as well as the length of time the injury has existed, affect the healing time frame.
- Non-Invasive - What attracts so many professional athletes and weekend warriors to ART is the quick results obtained without surgery.
- Improved Performance - Performance of any task — from golfing to typing to running — can be improved significantly with ART. Restoring proper muscle function and movement enables the body to perform at its most efficient level. Adhesions create drag and tension which means more energy and effort are required to accomplish a desired movement. Improved muscle function also means improved reaction times. ART allows the body to do what you ask of it when you need it.
- Post-Surgery Healing - ART can help speed up the healing process of post surgical wounds by breaking up the scar tissue and realigning it along the plane line of movement of the normal healthy tissue. Any time you make an incision in the body you create scarring. ART can help the body heal 2-3 times faster. It improves range of motion and joint function while reducing pain
Men's Health Magazine, November, 1999 pp.80-82
What is Active Release Techniques?
Active Release Techniques® is a new and highly successful hands-on approach to injuries of muscles, tendons, fascia, nerves and the surrounding soft tissues." "It is similar to some massage techniques, only it's more aggressive. 'The art of it all is being able to know where to look for adhesions, how to feel for them and how to use active motion of the body part to break them up,' says inventor Mike Leahy, D.C."
The technique is extremely effective on injuries like muscle strains, rotator cuff tendinitis, tennis elbow, achilles tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.
When a muscle, tendon, or ligament is torn (strained or sprained) or nerve is damaged, healing occurs in three stages called the inflammatory response: acute inflammation, repair and remodeling. In acute inflammation, redness, swelling, heat and pain occur. This phase lasts approximately 72 hours. After the inflammation recedes, repair begins. The damaged tissues heal with adhesions or scar tissue formation rather than the formation of brand new tissue.
Scar tissue is weaker, less elastic, less pliable and more pain sensitive than healthy tissue. These adhesions disrupt the normal muscle function, which in turn affects the biomechanics of the joint complex, and can lead to pain and dysfunction. This makes prompt and proper treatment essential for healing and rehabilitation.
Active Release Techniques® is applied by hand using a very specific pressure and tension on the muscle involved while moving the muscle underneath the contact (thumb or fingers of doctor's hand). "The affected tissue is trapped while the body part is moved, taking the tissue from its shortened to elongated position. Relative motion between tissues is introduced in order to restore gliding between those tissues" (Leah). This method softens and stretches the scar tissue, resulting in increased range of motion, increased strength, and improved circulation which optimizes healing.
The treatments are combined with proper stretching and strengthening of the involved tissues.
Proper body posture and ergonomic instruction are also imperative for optimal results.
Leahy, Michael. Improved Treatments for Carpal Tunnel and Related Syndromes. Chiropractic
Sports Medicine 9(1):6-9, 1995
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