Dr. Jeff's Blog
Latest Health News
February 14, 2012 at 05:26pm
Over 13 years of chiropractic practice, I've seen a lot of patients who suffer from migraines. They can be incredibly difficult to get rid of with conventional medical treatments, which basically amount to medications to either prevent them from occurring or reducing them when they appear. Both of these options are only covering up the symptom of pain, instead of actually getting to the root of the problem. Unfortunately, these medications have such a long list of side effects it would take me a full page to list them.
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Active Release Technique
Certified in Active Release Technique
What is ART?
How do these injuries occur?
What is an ART treatment like?
Who would benefit from an ART treatment?
What is ART?
ART, or Active Release Technique, is a treatment system used to treat problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder pain, tennis elbow, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, neck pain and back pain are just a few of the many conditions that can be helped with ART. ART is a great treatment option in any area of the body from your head to your toes as there can be soft tissue injuries in any of those areas.
How do these injuries occur?
Soft tissue injuries commonly occur via acute or sudden forces, accumulation of small injuries over time and not getting enough oxygen. Common acute injuries are due to muscle tears, whiplash and falls. Accumulation injuries are common in tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome and rotator cuff problems.
Not enough oxygen injury occurs with poor posture, where certain tissues are always being compressed. Each of these injuries can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue ties down many of the tissues in the affected area that need to move freely. This causes muscles to shorten and weaken, it increases tension on tendons which causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. Common consequences of this are weakness, reduced range of motion, numbness and pain. These adhesions can also cut off the bodies normal blood flow, lymph flow and nerve conduction, all of which can cause a multitude of bigger problems. These areas of scar tissue accumulation where blood and lymph flow are compromised are commonly called trigger points. These trigger points are common in fibromyalgia and other conditions.
What is an ART treatment like?
An ART session begins with Dr. Jeff's examination of the tissues surrounding the affected area. Dr. Jeff will be assessing the quality of tissues in the area looking for the scar tissue adhesions that are adversely affecting the proper function of that tissue. He will use his hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of those tissues.
If Dr. Jeff finds any abnormal tissues that are causing your pain, he will use a precisely directed tension to that tissue while he has you make a very specific motion to lengthen the tissue he is holding. By holding the tissue in a specific spot while you move, the adhesion will pass underneath his fingers and be eliminated.
Who would benefit from an ART treatment?
ART is a great treatment option if you suffer from any type of muscle pain. There is a long list of conditions that Dr. Jeff is able to help you eliminate with ART. ART is ideal for any muscle, fascia, ligament, tendon or nerve problem throughout the body. Even if you’ve seen another doctor for your condition, chances are they didn’t use ART.
ART is a specific technique that is different from massage or pressure point therapies. Only certified ART providers are able to provide this specific treatment protocol and only a limited number of providers are certified in the state of Minnesota at this time. Luckily, Dr. Jeff is one of those doctors and he is in your area. Even if you’ve seen some improvement with other providers, ART might be the last piece of the puzzle to eliminating the remaining pain from your injury.