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Active Release Techniques (ART) is a soft tissue massage treatment system 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 with ART.

It is considered a very effective form of treatment for repetitive strain injuries and is used by many professional athletes. Injured athletes use ART to more quickly return to training protocols due to its effect in stimulating blood flow, releasing stored toxins and breaking up scar tissue and adhesions.

This treatment was developed by Dr. Michael Leahy, a chiropractor based out of Colorado Springs, USA. Although similar to some massage techniques, Active Release Techniques is more specific in its attention to the musculo-tendonus junction.

The specific massage and manipulation technique is owned by "Active Release Techniques LLC". Therapists and Chiropractors that use this technique typically get training from the authoritative source and are then allowed to perform it on their patients.

Soft Tissue Therapy is a class of therapy that allows people to obtain relief from pain and suffering associated with repetitive stress and soft tissue injuries without the complications of oral medication, steroid therapy or invasive surgery. Is is also known as Active Release Techniques.

Because, the methods for diagnosing, monitoring and tracking soft tissue injury and healing have not been well developed, the conventional medical world has been slow to recognize and endorse soft tissue therapy.

However, there is a body of evidence that specifically designed soft tissue therapy directed at well known sources of pain or injury can have remarkable results for patients suffering from these types of disorders. (see external sources below).

Conventional Medical Approach - Is there a more reliable path?

Many people are actively looking for alternatives to standard medical options that are not working reliably to treat pain or return functionality to limbs and joints. Pain Management is one of the most compelling examples, because conventional medicine has not found an effective way to relieve pain and allow people to regain use of important limbs.

Historically, medical practice could be categoried into a typical approach. We do not understand pain, so treat pain with oral general pain medication to get by, and then turn to a surgical solution if the pain becomes more chronic. There are many complications associated with oral pain medication and risks associated with invasive surgery. It begs an overall question. Why treat the whole body with pain medication and create the resulting side effects when you have a localized issue with pain in one limb?

Oral Pain Medication-Wrong Direction

Following the conventional medical approach of oral pain relief as a primary path to dealing with pain has led to wild extremes and is a great example of conventional medical practice gone terribly wrong. The recent findings on the cardiovascular side effects and premature death resulting from long-term use of Cox-2 Inhibitors, such as Viox, have shocked the FDA, perscribing physicians and large pharmaceutical companies. All of these embraced COX-2 Inhibitors as a natural extension of conventional medical practice, with devastating results. Also, recognizing the stomach complications associated with long-term use of most of the effective oral pain medications, it is especially urgent to find alternative treatment methods that work.

Common Example of Soft Tissue Impairment

A common example of well known soft tissue impairment is repetitive stress induced Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Repetitive hand and wrist action often results in subcutaneous tissues becoming injured and swollen. These tissues include fascia, muscle, ligament, tendon, sheaths, retinaculum and peripheral nerve and blood vessels. In restricted passages of the body, swollen soft tissue can become compressed together creating intense pressure. Adjacent soft tissue can adhere together when compressed under these conditions over a prolonged period.

One of the most common soft tissue disorders results from repetitive stress induced carpal tunnel strain. Over time routine hand activity can injure the soft tissue causing swelling and compressive forces on the nerves and blood vessels passing through the wrist at the base of the hand. The Median Nerve passes through a narrow tunnel created by bones and the carpal ligament at the base of the hand where it meets the wrist. This passage is known as the Carpal Tunnel. When the Median Nerve is compressed and impinged against inelastic body parts by the surrounding soft tissue in this restricted space, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome results. CTS sufferers deal with intense pain, numbness and lack of feeling in the hand, fingers and thumb, sleep loss and hand dysfunction—all of which inhibits hand activity at work, home and during recreation.

Soft Tissue Therapy Offers More Reliable Focused Treatment

There is a new class of medical products and active release techniques that utilize soft tissue therapy to allow proactive healthcare consumers to treat debilitating disorders like carpal tunnel syndrome without the complications of oral medication, steroid therapy or invasive surgery. By treating pain and dysfunction at the source, soft tissue therapy offers people a new, more reliable alternative in pain management and limb functionality, where conventional medical techniques have failed to deliver reliable results. Soft Tissue Therapy represents a promising new less invasive medical methodology with specific successes on some common disorders like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

External Links:

Neuromuscular Re-education (NMR) is a highly specialized soft tissue technique that effectively resolves neck, lower back and extremity pain. The foundation upon which NMR is built is the body’s response to inflammation.

Selective Soft Tissue Therapy

Clinical Study of Soft Tissue Therapy for Treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Dr. Clyde Morgan