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My son, a sophomore in high school, made the junior varsity cross country team this fall and began the season well. However, three weeks into his training efforts, he began to notice heel and foot pain that sidelined him for a bit. He rested some and then attempted to run again, only to be hit with the pain once again. After a few at-home remedies, his coach suggested I take my son to see a local chiropractor who specializes in sports injuries. This particular chiropractor uses an interesting therapy called ART, or Active Release Technique. Skeptical at first, mainly because I did not want to have to take my son in for appointments every week, I began to see how this treatment is beneficial, so I did a bit of research into it.
ART is a soft tissue management system developed in 1991 by P. Michael Leahy, DC, CCSP. A chiropractor in Colorado Springs, he took his aeronautical engineering and anatomy background to create a treatment method for problems in soft tissues areas which otherwise would not respond to traditional therapies.
When the doctor first suggested this therapy, I was unsure at first, with my thoughts running towards, “Okay, so how many times do I have to bring my son in here and how much is this going to cost me?”
However, since my son was in such obvious pain and discomfort, and truly wanted to return to his love of running, I have now observed four sessions of this technique, and I am surprised to see positive results in return!
Through the use of ART, the chiropractor uses a massage-like technique that treats problems with tendons, ligaments, muscles, fascia, and nerves. This technique can be used to treat headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, backaches, shin splints, sciatica, plantar fascitis, knee problems, and many other conditions that can affect one’s bones, joints, ligaments, and tendons. What these conditions typically have in common are that they usually arise from overuse. As a cross country runner who logs many miles each week, overuse is an understatement for my son.
When a muscle is overused, it can result in pulls, tears, and collisions. There can be an accumulation of small tears in the affected area, and the muscles might not receive an adequate amount of oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia.
Any of these factors can create tough, dense scar tissue in one’s body in the affected area. In my son’s case, it was on the bottom of his feet, around his heels, and in his calf muscles and near his shins. The pain eventually led up to his knees.
When the scar tissue builds up, the muscles become shorter, weaker, and the resulting tension on the tendons can cause tendonitis and trap the nerves. What happens as a result is that the individual may notice a loss of range of motion, a decrease in strength, and pain. With a trapped nerve, there may also be tingling, weakness, or numbness. My son was literally bombarded with all of these symptoms.
I will admit that, upon watching the doctor administer this technique to my son, I wanted to complain of an ache or a pain, as the massage-like techniques he employed on the bottom of my son’s foot looked like they felt really good! However, my son assured me that, at times, it was painful, but in a good way, as the doctor manipulated his soft tissue to remove the scar tissue build-up within his muscles.
In each Active Release Session, the chiropractor uses his hands to determine where the scar tissue is in the muscles and assesses how tight the muscles are. He will then combine tension, massage, and certain movements of the patient to allow this technique to work.
At one point, he firmly placed his thumb into the back of my son’s lower leg and had my son move his foot up and then down, as the doctor could assess and loosen the scar tissue in my son’s calf muscles. He required my son to perform a series of leg and foot movements while he manipulated, massaged, and applied pressure to various parts of my son’s lower leg. It took a few sessions with my son before the doctor could apply enough pressure to get deeper into the muscle tissue. To hear my son describe it, the technique sometimes felt ticklish, sometimes comforting, and sometimes painful as the doctor moved to those deeper layers of the muscles as the scar tissue was felt by his hands and loosened up.
According to www.activerelease.com, there are over 500 specific moves unique to ART, allowing for providers of the therapy to identify and correct certain problems that are bothering each individual patient. There is no one particular approach that is used. It is all based on the needs and conditions of the patient.
My son’s chiropractor has performed four sessions on my son to date, and it appears to be working. He has advised my son to do certain stretching exercises at home to further help the condition. My son returns again today for what might be his final session. He has returned to running and is gearing up for a meet later this week. I suppose there truly is an “ART” to this technique!
(Information for this article was found at www.activerelease.com.)
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