BY VALERIE BERENYI, CALGARY HERALD
What Is Active Release Technique: How It Helps Sore or Injured Muscles
The article linked here explains two of the treatments our chiropractors at Spine and Sports Chiropractic are trained and certified in. Both Active Release Technique and the Graston Technique help get injured or sore muscles moving again—pain-free, stronger, and performing better. It’s well worth the read, and if you’re dealing with sore or injured muscles, give us a call at 406-388-1446.
Olympian Jeff Pain swears by Active Release Technique for getting tight, sore, or injured muscles moving again and improving overall athletic performance.
“There’s no better therapy out there,” Pain says, as chiropractor Conrad Tang uses his thumbs to work the quadriceps muscles of the 2006 Olympic silver medalist in skeleton.
So-called manual release therapies—including Active Release Technique, the Graston Technique, and Kinesio Taping—have become increasingly popular. Jon Montgomery reportedly used Active Release Technique prior to his gold-medal win at the 2010 Olympics.
But according to Tang, who is also a kinesiology researcher at the University of Calgary, there’s still limited scientific evidence supporting these therapies. He’s launching a new study to determine whether manual release therapies—long used at the cutting edge of injury treatment and performance enhancement for elite athletes—can help everyday people dealing with kneecap pain.
He’s currently seeking 20 active individuals between the ages of 18 and 45 with patellofemoral pain syndrome, a condition that affects roughly 30% of the population, to participate in a free eight-week treatment program.
Pain and injuries often lead to muscles that shut down and become dormant, Tang explains. Weakness and discomfort then make movement even harder. Manual therapy techniques aim to “wake up” these inactive muscles and restore proper mobility and range of motion.
“When a muscle is damaged, scar tissue forms and groups of muscles can get stuck together,” Tang says. “They’re supposed to move freely against one another. But when they get stuck, the muscles shorten and stiffen. This leads to weakness and shrinking of the muscle.”
Patented techniques like Graston and Active Release Technique are designed to break up that “stickiness,” improve movement, and reduce stiffness and pain.
Participants in the study will receive one of three treatments:
- Graston Technique: A spoon-shaped stainless steel instrument is rubbed over the muscles to detect and treat adhesions.
- Active Release Technique (ART): The provider uses their hands to stretch and apply pressure to muscles, tendons, and ligaments while the patient actively moves the area.
- Kinesio Taping: A flexible therapeutic tape that can be worn for several days, believed to lift the skin slightly and activate underlying muscles.
Pain, who currently sees a therapist using all three methods, is eager to see the study’s results. Because elite athletes train intensely and repetitively, they’re more prone to overuse injuries. “These therapies keep me pain-free, limber, and performing well,” he says.
What Is Active Release Technique: Why Our Chiropractors Use It
Suffering from sore or injured muscles? Need to improve performance? Our chiropractors are fully Active Release Technique certified, and we’re here to help you get moving again. Call us at 406-388-1446 to schedule your visit and learn more about what is active release technique and how it may support your recovery.