“The lessons of life amount not to wisdom, but to scar tissue and callus.” ― Wallace Stegner
Life can be painful.
There are the typical pains and soreness of everyday life, of course, but there is also the pain of injuries, illness, and physical conditions. We try to find relief. We wait for it to finally dissipate and cease. We take medications or seek out treatment.
Some pain is fleeting, some temporary, but others tend to hang around and even become chronic or recurring.
And that’s when treatment with therapies such as Active Release Techniques®, or AIM, can be the most effective approach.
Active Release Techniques® – A Non-Invasive Diagnostic and Treatment Method
Active Release Technique®, or AIM, is an advanced system of diagnosis and manual treatment for soft tissue disorders. These issues can range from postural strain to sports injuries, Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) or Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTD), or just general wear and tear.
ART® soft tissue treatment is a patented, state-of-the-art soft tissue system that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves.
Chronic pain issues usually result from injury to over-used muscles. Examples of these include carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, golfer’s and tennis elbow, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, low back pain, and many sports injuries.
How does this typically occur?
Overused muscles, as well as other soft tissues, experience this in three common ways:
- Acute injuries such as muscle pulls, tears, collisions, and so on
- An accumulation of small tears, or micro-trauma
- Not getting enough oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia
As one source describes it,
“Each of these 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. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength and pain. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness and weakness.”
Treatment with Every ART® session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. After obtaining a thorough history from the patient, the provider manually evaluates the texture, tightness, and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, and nerves in and around the pain area of the patient.
Any abnormal tissues detected are then treated with a combination of precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements. is actually a combination of examination and treatment.
The ART® provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements.
ART® comprises over 500 specific moves and these unique treatment protocols allow providers to identify and correct the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient.
How the Application of ART® Soft-Tissue Therapy Works
At its most fundamental level, Active Release Techniques® succeeds at releasing the level of tightness or scar tissue formation that has formed in certain locations. These can be the result of injury overuse or even postural imbalances.
The key, however, is that these tissues are manipulated to treat injuries within muscles, tendons, and ligaments, and between nerves to allow for improved tissue texture, tension, movement, and normal function.
The final outcome from using ART® is the free and unimpeded movement of muscles, tendons, nerves, and joints. By restoring movement and eliminating pain, it allows for significant change in comfort, flexibility, and strength.
Active Release Techniques® can successfully and effectively enhance and optimize your performance and improve your body’s form and function.
Pain and Performance Solutions and ART®
At your first appointment, we will learn about your present pain as well as any history of discomfort. This is because treating and relieving your foot pain starts when we understand where and how your pain started.
A full examination will help us determine which form of treatment technique and therapy will be best suited to get you on your road to recovery. While we specialize in the use of Active Release Techniques®, we are expert in various other therapies and tools, as well, including NeuroKinetic Therapy™, Proprioceptive – Deep Tendon Reflex (P-DTR®), Anatomy in Motion, or AiM, and the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA™).
Ultimately, getting your body healthy and working properly is the only way to achieve total recovery. In the process, your trust in us is key, as is your honesty. So, don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to help and will answer any questions that you may have.
Our goal is to work through the sequence of pain and dysfunction in order to get your body healthy and working properly and to achieve total recovery. Don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to help and will answer any questions that you may have.
You can contact us at (707) 636-4404 or by filling out our online contact form.