ART® (Active Release Techniques®)


Valley Sports Physicians is the only facility in the Farmington Valley and the Glastonbury area offering ART for the treatment of chronic soft tissue pain.  Karen Chase, MS, ATC, LAT, one of our Athletic Trainers, is Certified in both Upper and Lower Extremity ART.

What is ART?

ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement-based massage technique that treats 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 can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.

What conditions is ART used for?

Sports injuries, headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, rotator cuff, frozen shoulder, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, 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 are often a result of overused muscles.

How do overuse conditions occur?

Over-used muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:
  • acute conditions (pulls, tears, collisions, etc),
  • accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)
  • not getting enough oxygen (hypoxia).
Each of these factors can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue binds up tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendinitis, nerves can become trapped, and blood flow can become impeded. 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.

What is an ART treatment like?

Every ART session is actually a combination of both 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.

These treatment protocols - over 500 specific moves - are unique to ART. They allow providers to identify and correct the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient. ART is not a cookie-cutter approach.

Treatments initially are scheduled twice a week for the first few visits.  Then treatment frequency and the number of additional treatments needed is discussed between patient and therapist.  The initial visit is 40 minutes, and subsequent visits are 30 minutes.

What is the history of Active Release Techniques?

ART was been developed, refined, and patented by a chiropractor, P. Michael Leahy, DC, CCSP. Dr. Leahy noticed that his patients' symptoms seemed to be related to changes in their soft tissue that could be felt by hand. By observing how muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves responded to different types of work, Dr. Leahy was able to consistently resolve over 90% of his patients' problems. He now teaches and certifies health care providers all over the world to use ART.

Who can perform ART?

Only health care professionals who have attended formal ART courses, and who have become Certified in ART, are allowed to perform ART.  Physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and massage therapists are the only health care professionals allowed to take ART courses.

For more information, go to www.activerelease.com.