Technique uses pinpoint pressure to relieve pain

By Ron Barlot
Photo by Tye Carson

Painting a pastoral landscape on canvas may soothe your soul and relieve tension, but could be tough to get through with numbness, tingling, pain and weakness in the hand that’s holding the colour palette. This is a case for the other ART — Active Release Technique, a practical manual resolution for lingering muscular injury.

Active release is a modern manual technique that uses movement and deep pinpoint pressure to treat pain within soft tissue, the grab bag definition that includes muscles, tendons, ligaments, fat, fascia and nerves. Scar tissue — what the body uses to repair soft tissue — grows at the site of injury and glues the damaged tissue and neighbouring tissues together, often producing pain and dysfunction. Scar tissue is easily understood when analogized to cuts of meat you may find at the local butcher; the less expensive and chewier meat contains more of this tissue compared to a filet. Active release technique specifically targets this offending scar tissue.

Each treatment involves a combination of examination and treatment. An experienced provider will skillfully use his or her hands to assess tightness, texture and movement of the soft tissue.

Treatment occurs by applying precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements. This can hurt, plain and simple. It’s not severe pain, but rather described as the “good” kind of pain that comes from knowing your body is receiving the treatment it needs.
ART is comparatively more invasive than massage being focused on treating dysfunctional scar tissues. With more than 500 protocols, each treatment would be tailored to suit each patient’s particular problem.

ART was developed by Michael Leahy, a chiropractor in Colorado Springs, Colo. As an aeronautical engineering and pilot from the United States Air Force Academy, Leahy coupled his military background with chiropractic education to provide him with a deep understanding of biomechanics and how strain affects the human body.

Although athletes are the most obvious beneficiaries of such hands-on care, most of us living in the industrialized world could benefit from this technique. In fact, it is those of us who sustain seemingly innocuous injuries — for example, performing repetitive tasks at home or at work — who require the greatest amount of support.

Repetitive computer use, repeatedly holding a child on one hip or postural tension from sitting for too long, are habitual behaviours endemic to society that cause the body to respond by producing scar tissue. From IT professionals to the executive team, from mothers to the weekend warrior, from gym-goers to triathletes, almost everyone could benefit from ART. Unless a more severe disease is the cause of your problems — for example, neuropathic pain in diabetics, hypothyroidism or heart disease — ART will work for you.

Although most commonly administered by chiropractors, ART is less commonly provided by massage therapists, kinesiologists and physiotherapists. 
Got pain? If your efforts have provided less than desirable results, and the prospect of a “good hurt” doesn’t send you fleeing in panic, ART might be for you. 

Chiropractor Ron Barlot is full-body certified active release practitioner in Calgary.

January/February 2012