What is ART?

 

Have you ever wondered what holds yourself back from running a 4 minute 1500 m race or a 30 minute 10 km race or throwing a shot putt 10 m or sprinting a 100 m race in 11 seconds.  Is it your lack of cardiovascular fitness or flexibility, lack of muscular strength or inconsistent training?  If one of these isn’t the reason, because you train hard and consistently, sleep and eat well, what could it be?

 

One possibility may be the accumulative effects of training and the thousands of repetitive motions on the body. Even with the best equipment, good biomechanics and excellent training, runners and throwers are always vulnerable to cumulative trauma.  It would be like a car travelling across Canada.  The greater the mileage, the greater the chance for wear and tear damage.

 

Injuries to soft tissue (ligaments, muscles, nerves, connective tissue) result in inflammation and swelling of the tissue.  In response, the body forms scar tissue in an attempt to stabilize the affected area.  This scar tissue restricts motion, reduces circulation, reduces nerve function and causes friction and pressure which usually produces more scar tissue and adhesions.

 

Effective treatment of soft tissue injuries often seen with athletes requires an alteration in tissue structure to break up cross-fiber adhesions and restoring normal function to the soft tissue.  This type of treatment will significantly decrease healing time, treat the source of the injury and improve athletic performance.

 

Active Release Technique ® (ART) is a patented, non-invasive, soft tissue treatment that breaks down scar tissue and adhesions that cause pain, stiffness, weakness, numbness and physical dysfunction.

 

ART ® is effective for both acute and chronic (i.e. repetitive strain injuries) and for helping improve athletic performance.  ART providers treat Olympic athletes as well as professional (i.e. NHL, NFL, NBA etc.) and amateur athletes.

 

The treatment is a hands-on procedure in which the provider (i.e. chiropractor, physiotherapist etc.) takes the tissue (i.e. muscle) from a shortened to fully elongated position.  At the same time the patient is asked to move that injured body part that causes the tissue to either move with or away from the provider.  This will help” release” the adhesions.

 

ART ® is effective in treating injuries such as plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis, runner’s knee, iliotibial band syndrome, shin splints, back pain etc.

 

ART ® can also provide patients with a means to enhance their sports performance by identifying and releasing restrictions that reduce their performance.

 

Not everyone offers ART ® or is a certified provider.  Before you make an appointment with someone, be sure to ask if they offer ART ® and if they are certified.

 

Good luck and have a great, safe season!

 

Dr. Erin A. White is a chiropractor and certified kinesiologist, who is a certified ART ® provider.  He has practiced in Sarnia for 10 years and works with and provides therapy for many athletes and teams in Sarnia-Lambton.