Rocked and Rolled

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ANYONE WHO HAS SUFFERED from chronic back pain, extreme tendonitis or ligament damage understands how desperate you can be for relief from the pain. Sadly, these very same people often agree to surgery when there is a much simpler, and possibly more effective, solution. Welcome to active release technique (ART).
    ART was developed, refined and patented by Dr. Michael Leahy in the mid-’80s. Upon observing his patients with overuse injuries, Leahy realized that simply compressing or kneading scar tissue was not enough. Rather, a high-tension approach to working individual muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves could resolve 90 percent of his patients’ problems. Leahy now teaches and certifies healthcare providers to use ART around the globe.

Tension and Friction
Dr. Justin Lau, a Sacramento-based chiropractor who claims a host of soft-tissue related specialties, notes, “ART is a cut above most soft-tissue techniques such as light touch or compressive. ART works with tension onto the tissue coupled with a full range of patient motion to break into the scar tissue. It is better than regular deep-tissue stripping where it’s usually a knuckle or an elbow boring into one point. The danger of this type of compression is that it can just create more inflammation.”
Lau compares the injured area that has healed with scar tissue to layers of fiber stuck together (poorly) with superglue. He explains that the ART practitioner corrects the injured area by essentially trapping one layer down and pulling the other into the proper place so that your body aligns naturally.
    An ART-certified provider can evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. According to Lau there are more than 500 specific moves unique to ART.
    So whether you’re suffering from sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, knee problems or any of the myriad badges of the active life, there just may be relief in store.
  MICHELLE M. MARGETTS

Know How to Roll ’Em
Continued...

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