Active Release Techniques (ART)

What it is

Understanding active release (art)

Active Release Techniques was developed by Dr. P. Michael Leahy, who noticed that most stubborn soft tissue problems shared one thing: scar tissue and adhesions restricting normal movement. ART is a patented system for finding and releasing them.

It is the therapy patients most often travel to us for. Dr. Durnas is ART certified, and it is the reason a lot of runners, lifters and desk workers end up here after other treatment has stalled.

How it works

How a session actually runs

Three steps, every time. The assessment is the part that makes the treatment specific.

Feel for the restriction. Your provider assesses movement, tension and tissue texture by hand. That hands-on evaluation is what locates the scar tissue, adhesion or abnormal texture causing the problem.

Apply tension to the exact tissue. Precise contact is held on the restricted tissue. This is why the technique is specific to you rather than a general rub down of the sore area.

Move the tissue under that tension. You actively take the limb or joint through its range while the contact is held. The movement under tension is what frees the adhesion, and it is the part that separates ART from passive massage.

How it compares

Why this is not a deep tissue massage

What it helps

What ART is used for

• Repetitive strain injuries
• Tennis and golfer's elbow
• Plantar fasciitis
• Shin splints
• Rotator cuff pain
• Hamstring and calf strains
• Carpal tunnel symptoms
• IT band and hip restriction
• Sciatic nerve entrapment
• Neck and shoulder tension from desk work