What is Active Release Techniques®
ART is a patented, state of the art non invasive treatment for soft tissue injury. Using an active 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.
ART is new to the UK, but has been developed in the United States over the last two decades
What is the history of Active Release Techniques?
ART has been developed, refined, and patented by 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.
How is ART different?
Active Release Technique (ART) soft tissue management system is so different that it has been granted a medical patent. In order to become an ART provider, each professional must complete extensive hands-on instruction and written/practical testing unparalleled by other soft tissue programs. An ART provider is trained to palpate and treat more than 300 muscular and fascial injuries and over 90 nerve entrapments, which often cause numbness and tingling.
Every ART® session is 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. Then abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements. For example, trapped nerves may be gently moved through the tissues by moving every joint and body part that the nerve crosses.
While most healthcare providers use techniques of massage, trigger point, electrical modalities and ultrasound to treat soft tissue problems with reasonable results, ART® in our opinion, provides a much better way.
ART® injury treatment is simple, just not easy. An injury causes your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. The 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.
Applying the ART® protocols is as simple as playing a piano—and just as difficult. ART® practitioners have an excellent understanding of human anatomy and physiology. They develop a very advanced "feel" for tissues and their texture, tension, and movement, because they are taught to find every tissue by touch—and to make fast, permanent changes in tissues.
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 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.
What can be expected from treatment?
Active Release Techniques, as the implies, uses motion to fix the problem. Once the injury has been assessed, the provider uses hands on treatment and patient motion to “free up” the problem areas.
Treatment duration and frequency may vary depending on the severity and complexity of the injury. However, most patients experience rapid recovery.
In Sport - ART has become the treatment of choice for America's top athletes!
At work - With the incidence of repetitive strain injury (RSI) increasing by 670 percent in the last 5 years, people in the workplace and general population are finding ART is providing the pain relief they need.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS about ART®
Is the treatment painful?
The first one or two treatments may feel uncomfortable depending on the extent of the injury and severity of the condition. However, even if the treatment is uncomfortable and reproduces symptoms, this is only temporary and will stop within seconds after the treatment.
How long do the treatments take?
The initial consultation, history, examination, and treatment will usually require anywhere from thirty minutes to one hour. Subsequent treatments usually take only ten to fifteen minutes.
How soon can I expect results?
In most cases, following the first treatment a patient will experience a positive result. This may be an increased range of motion, less pain, increased muscle strength, or decreased numbness and tingling.
Is this similar to other soft tissue treatments like trigger point therapy, ischemic compression, etc.?
NO. ART® is very different than any other soft tissue therapy or massage.
ART® is very specific and the results achieved utilizing this technique are much more predictable.
Once my problem has been corrected what are the chances of the problem returning?
ART® is very effective. Along with lifestyle modifications and prescribed exercise/stretches, the likelihood of the condition recurring is very low.
What if my doctor recommends surgery?
There are cases where surgery might be inevitable. Since ART® is non-invasive and has no side effects, it is practical to try ART® first
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
What is Sports Massage
Sports Massage:
Sports massage therapies are both preventative and therapeutic, and used for athletes during warm ups, training and competition to treat and/or aid in the prevention of injuries; help improve flexibility, range of motion, and performance; and aid in mental clarity. Virtually every professional sports team employs professional sports massage therapists, and they are often privately employed by professional athletes.
Aims of massage:
In all types of massage, the therapist has specific aims in mind, and in sport we focus on the individual needs of the athlete. With the ever growing number of people taking part in sport, combined with the increasing competitiveness and intensity of physical exercise, the demand for sports massage is also increasing and becoming more and more recognised as a skill which may aid recovery and enhance performance.
Sports massage does have some aims in common with other forms of massage and it is especially important to have a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology, in particular the muscular and skeletal systems. By understanding these systems and the effects of exercise, we may also appreciate how massage may benefit the sports person and becomes an integral part of the athlete's training program.
Athletes who are looking to improve performance and increase their competitive edge do so by adopting a training schedule to enhance their skill, strength, stamina, suppleness and speed. The degree to which they develop and utilise these qualities will depend on other factors such as the level of competition, the sport played, and possibly their position in a team. However, no matter which sport, the aim is nearly always to increase the level of training and thereby subject the body to gradual and controlled overuse.
It is this overuse that may often create problems and imbalances in the soft tissues. If these are ignored and allowed to become chronic, they will not only hinder the athlete's rate of improvement, but also in many cases their performance may well suffer and ultimately the athlete may be susceptible to developing more conditions that are serious. Certainly if they are unable to perform at their best, they may be more at risk from other more traumatic forms of injury. For example, a player involved in a contact sport who is "carrying" an injury may not have their usual level of agility. The result might be that they might suffer an extrinsic injury because of not being fully prepared for the contact suffered from an unexpected tackle.
Benefits of Sports Massage:
Massage, applied skillfully, is the most effective therapy for releasing muscle tension and restoring balance to the musculo-skeletal system. Received regularly this may help athletes prevent injuries, which might otherwise be caused by overuse. A constant build up of tension in the muscles from regular activity may lead to stresses on joints, ligaments, tendons, as well as the muscles themselves.
These muscle imbalances may develop and often go undiagnosed until they are serious enough to cause the athlete discomfort or impede performance. The skilled massage therapist will be able to detect variations in the soft tissues and by using the correct techniques, help the sports person maintain a much healthier physical state.
It may therefore be reasonably claimed that one of the greatest benefits of sports
Sports massage is designed to help athletes prepare their bodies for optimal performance, recover after a big event, or function well during training.
But you don't have to be in the Olympics to benefit from sports massage. Sports massage is also good for people with injuries, chronic pain or restricted range of motion. This is the type of sports massage that you see in specialist clinics
What Happens During Sports Massage?
Sports massage is a type of Swedish massage that stimulates circulation of blood and lymph fluids. Some sports massage movements use trigger point therapy and Active Release techniques to break down adhesions (knots in the muscles) and increase range of motion.
There are four types of sports massages:
* pre-event sports massage -- a short, stimulating massage 15 - 45 minutes before the event. It is directed toward the parts of the body that will be involved in the exertion.
* post-event sports massage -- given within an hour or two of the event, to normalize the body's tissues.
* restorative sports massage -- given during training to allow the athelete to train harder and with less injury.
* rehabilitative sports massage -- aimed at alleviating pain due to injury and returning the body to health.
When Should I Get A Sports Massage?
A sports massage is a good choice if you have a specific problem. The therapist generally focuses in on the problem area -- a frozen shoulder or pulled hamstring, for instance -- rather than giving you a thorough full body massage, although this can be done initially to find any problem areas.
Sometimes men (or women for that fact) who are new to massage are more comfortable getting a sports massage because it sounds more masculine. That's fine, even if they don't have an injury.
Sports massage therapies are both preventative and therapeutic, and used for athletes during warm ups, training and competition to treat and/or aid in the prevention of injuries; help improve flexibility, range of motion, and performance; and aid in mental clarity. Virtually every professional sports team employs professional sports massage therapists, and they are often privately employed by professional athletes.
Aims of massage:
In all types of massage, the therapist has specific aims in mind, and in sport we focus on the individual needs of the athlete. With the ever growing number of people taking part in sport, combined with the increasing competitiveness and intensity of physical exercise, the demand for sports massage is also increasing and becoming more and more recognised as a skill which may aid recovery and enhance performance.
Sports massage does have some aims in common with other forms of massage and it is especially important to have a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology, in particular the muscular and skeletal systems. By understanding these systems and the effects of exercise, we may also appreciate how massage may benefit the sports person and becomes an integral part of the athlete's training program.
Athletes who are looking to improve performance and increase their competitive edge do so by adopting a training schedule to enhance their skill, strength, stamina, suppleness and speed. The degree to which they develop and utilise these qualities will depend on other factors such as the level of competition, the sport played, and possibly their position in a team. However, no matter which sport, the aim is nearly always to increase the level of training and thereby subject the body to gradual and controlled overuse.
It is this overuse that may often create problems and imbalances in the soft tissues. If these are ignored and allowed to become chronic, they will not only hinder the athlete's rate of improvement, but also in many cases their performance may well suffer and ultimately the athlete may be susceptible to developing more conditions that are serious. Certainly if they are unable to perform at their best, they may be more at risk from other more traumatic forms of injury. For example, a player involved in a contact sport who is "carrying" an injury may not have their usual level of agility. The result might be that they might suffer an extrinsic injury because of not being fully prepared for the contact suffered from an unexpected tackle.
Benefits of Sports Massage:
Massage, applied skillfully, is the most effective therapy for releasing muscle tension and restoring balance to the musculo-skeletal system. Received regularly this may help athletes prevent injuries, which might otherwise be caused by overuse. A constant build up of tension in the muscles from regular activity may lead to stresses on joints, ligaments, tendons, as well as the muscles themselves.
These muscle imbalances may develop and often go undiagnosed until they are serious enough to cause the athlete discomfort or impede performance. The skilled massage therapist will be able to detect variations in the soft tissues and by using the correct techniques, help the sports person maintain a much healthier physical state.
It may therefore be reasonably claimed that one of the greatest benefits of sports
Sports massage is designed to help athletes prepare their bodies for optimal performance, recover after a big event, or function well during training.
But you don't have to be in the Olympics to benefit from sports massage. Sports massage is also good for people with injuries, chronic pain or restricted range of motion. This is the type of sports massage that you see in specialist clinics
What Happens During Sports Massage?
Sports massage is a type of Swedish massage that stimulates circulation of blood and lymph fluids. Some sports massage movements use trigger point therapy and Active Release techniques to break down adhesions (knots in the muscles) and increase range of motion.
There are four types of sports massages:
* pre-event sports massage -- a short, stimulating massage 15 - 45 minutes before the event. It is directed toward the parts of the body that will be involved in the exertion.
* post-event sports massage -- given within an hour or two of the event, to normalize the body's tissues.
* restorative sports massage -- given during training to allow the athelete to train harder and with less injury.
* rehabilitative sports massage -- aimed at alleviating pain due to injury and returning the body to health.
When Should I Get A Sports Massage?
A sports massage is a good choice if you have a specific problem. The therapist generally focuses in on the problem area -- a frozen shoulder or pulled hamstring, for instance -- rather than giving you a thorough full body massage, although this can be done initially to find any problem areas.
Sometimes men (or women for that fact) who are new to massage are more comfortable getting a sports massage because it sounds more masculine. That's fine, even if they don't have an injury.
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