Nick Roberts, PICP Level 2, ART Practitioner (Full Body)
Most of us have some sort of nagging pain. It may stem from an old injury in our younger years, tightness from working at a desk 40 hours a week, or even regular stress. Active Release Technique (ART) is a manual soft tissue treatment system designed to release specific muscles that are restricted due to any of the following primary causes:
1) Muscular Adhesion: scar tissue built up on the surface of a muscle and often adjacent muscles that acts like a kink in a chain, restricting range of motion (ROM), causing localized pain, and putting more stress on related joints and structures.
2) Peripheral Nerve Entrapment: this occurs when significant nerves become entrapped by tight or spasmed muscles and the result is usually reduced function and strength in the associated muscles.
Adhesions have two main causes, those being an Acute Injury, and a Repetitive Motion Injury. Acute injuries cause inflammation, and the resultant recovery process builds up scar tissue around the injury, which must be manually broken down for optimal function once again. ART takes a given muscle
and from it’s shortest length, applies a tension along the muscle fibers, and then takes the muscle to the maximum momentary length. With subsequent repetitions, and subsequent treatments, this length can dramatically improve.
Repetitive motions such as sports movements or regular postural positions can build up adhesions over time as the body continually remodels the tissues to meet the demands of life. Tight muscles tend to be weak, and vice versa. This results in what’s called Cellular Hypoxia, where oxygen delivery to structures is restricted. I deal most often with tightness in the anterior hip, mid scapular region, glutes, and hamstrings that are tight from 40 hours behind a desk for 10+ years. These problems are easy to correct with ART, along with specific exercises and stretches to permanently fix the issues.
Nerves that become entrapped can be quite painful, in a different way than let’s say a muscle strain. It is usually described by the patient as a “shooting pain” that travels along that neural pathway. A good therapist will know right away which nerves and muscles are affected, and work on releasing the nerve, which is a slight variation in technique from releasing a muscle. We want nerves to move freely and be uninhibited by surrounding structures, as they are our direct line of communication to our movements and sensations.
I once had a neck injury where the Brachial Plexus coming from my C5-T1 nerve roots because severely entrapped. Shooting pains were excrutiating for about a week, and I had a loss of about 20% of the strength in all of the muscles from my Trapezius and Latissimus Dorsi down to my fingers. A combination of ART and cervical manipulations is what restored 100% function and I was breaking Canadian records in a few months following treatment.
ART has been successful in resolving issues with everyday people as well as world class athletes. Gary Roberts, a former NHL star, credits ART as one of the main reasons he was able to resume his career after serious back problems that nearly cut his career in half. He went on to have many great seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs upon his return. It also isn’t uncommon for typical overuse injuries in running and cycling to be resolved in just a few sessions.
I encourage everyone to try ART and let me help you resolve issues that are restricting your movements to improve your performance and quality of life. If you are experiencing neck, back, shoulder, hip, knee, and even foot pain, ART may be the right treatment for you.
Nick Roberts is a Full Body Certified ART Practitioner and Personal Trainer working out of St. John’s, NL. He is also a double Canadian Record Holder in Olympic Weightlifting and continues to train for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. You may contact him atnr.massage@hotmail.com for booking, rates, and package specials.
Reference:
Leahy, PM, Active Release Techniques Soft Tissue System, 2nd Edition, 2008, 1-25.