As a number of you are aware, I took an ART vacation recently. I headed out of state for treatment with an ART practitioner that I knew by reputation was highly skilled.
I had a number of issues and muscular imbalances. I had a shoulder that was sore all of the time and that had limited/restricted ROM. I had a kink in my neck that I had had for YEARS. I had a case of lateral epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow), and at times the pain was painfully acute. Over time, one by one, I had given up bicep curls, overhead presses, dead lifts and pull-ups. And because of my bum shoulder, I wasn’t bench-pressing.
Even though ART is heavily touted and often recommended on the forum, I’ve found that ART is only as good as the practitioner. Some practitioners work MAGIC. Others, as would be the case with any profession, are still developing their skill set. If you’ve tried ART in the past and have been less than satisfied, I would encourage you to expand your search and seek out another practitioner. Get recommendations! ! !
With the help of Dr. Gregg, the ART practitioner who treated me, I wanted to lay out a little more specifically what some of my problems were, the work that was done on me, the results I got, and what I’m doing post-ART to support healing and rehab. Dr. Gregg is a member of T-Mag, and he’s agreed to keep an eye on this thread and answer any questions you all might have.
Before I get started, for the record, I’d like to explain what ART is and what happens when you get a treatment. I’ll be quoting/paraphrasing some of the material I received from Dr. Gregg.
Active Release Technique treats muscle, tendon, ligament and nerve injuries related to sports or other traumas. The concept of the technique is based on scientific literature that scar tissue is laid down in areas of trauma or overuse, impeding different muscle layers and nerves from sliding on one another the way they’re supposed to. When adhesions between muscle layers occur, pain and tightness are felt, which often results in limited or restricted ROM and altered biomechanics. If a nerve is restricted, then pain, numbness and tingling are the most common symptoms. This can lead to weakness in the muscle. Specific hand contacts and muscle movements are used to break up the restrictions/adhesions in order to restore normal biomechanics.
For those of you who have never had ART done, the simplest way to describe what goes on is that the muscle is first shortened; internal pressure is then applied to adhesions at different points along the muscle; and then the muscle is lengthened; i.e., moved through its full range of motion.
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