Active Release Technique (ART) is a patented soft tissue mobilization technique that treats damaged soft tissues, such as muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia and nerves. The goal of ART is to restore mobility of the soft tissue, which eliminates pain.

How does the mobility of soft tissue become restricted?

Often times, the mobility of soft tissue becomes restricted when an acute trauma (sprain or tear) or cumulative trauma (tendonitis, bursitis or carpal tunnel syndrome) occurs. Muscles are made up of tiny filaments of tissue that run parallel to each other. This allows the muscle to move freely. When the muscle is injured from trauma, the filaments tear. The body reacts by repairing the damaged tissue with fibrotic tissue (dense scar tissue). The fibrotic tissue causes the muscle to become shorter and this decreases strength. The tension on tendons causes tendonitis and eventually, leads to compensatory motion, which causes pain.

ART is the one of the first therapies designed specifically to treat these soft tissue problems. Trained professionals, such as physical therapists, use ART in conjunction with biomechanical analysis and other manual therapy to study the movement problem. ART has a success rate of over 90 percent.

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