Active Release Techniques – A Personal View Part 3

How to find an ART Practitioner

Due to its growing popularity and effectiveness, there are many people claiming to be ART practitioners, but who have not received the required training. There are also practitioners who have not kept up their certification. Taking one ART course every 5 to 10 years does not make you an experienced ART practitioner. Its rather like telling a story around a big circle - by the time the story gets to the other side of the circle you end up with something that only remotely resembles the original story.

Bottom line, it is very important to check out the current certification levels of your selected ART practitioner. ART practitioners can take courses in Upper Extremity, Lower Extremity, Spine, Long Nerve Entrapment, Biomechanics, and an advanced Masters level.

Make sure your practitioner is certified for treating the areas that you require. In addition, it is well worth your time and health to find someone who is also certified in both Biomechanics and ART. These specialized individuals will be better able to find and identify exactly which restrictions are inhibiting your performance, and then help you to eliminate the problem!

To verify your ART practitioner’s qualifications, visit the Active Release website at www.activerelease.com. This site tracks all current ART practitioners, and provides information about their current certification.

Note: No matter which practitioner you chose - expect real results. The practitioner should provide you with a game plan; give you a clear idea of how many initial visits are needed; date of review/re-examination; as well as the type of results they expect to achieve. On your part, be sure to give the practitioner sufficient time and opportunity to resolve your condition - do not expect to resolve a condition in just one or two visits.

Exercise and Active Release Techniques

Ask your practitioner if they are going to provide you with rehabilitative exercises. If your practitioner tells you that exercise is not necessary - find another practitioner. To help you fully understand the importance of exercise, consider the three phases of tissue remodeling after an injury and understand why exercise is essential.

Phase One: Reaction or Acute Inflammatory phase

This 72 hour phase (after an injury) is characterized by swelling and pain. During this phase, use ice to reduce inflammation, and if required, take an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication. Avoid using these medications after the first 72 hours since they can have a negative effect on tissue regeneration. Even during this initial stage, it is important to get some motion into the affected area in order to speed the healing process.

Phase Two: Regenerative or Repair phase

During this 48 hour to six-week phase, collagen is formed and laid down to repair the injured area. If the injured person is performing the correct exercises, the majority of the collagen will be laid down in the same direction as the tissue being repaired, making the repaired tissue stronger and more capable of performing its function. If the individual is not exercising, the tissue will be laid down in more random patterns, leading to the development of weaker tissue that is easily re-injured.

Phase Three: Remodeling phase

The remodeling phase can last up to 12 months. During this phase the collagen fibers increase in size, diameter and strength. The amount of remodeling that takes place is dependant upon the forces that are applied to the tissue - in other words - the collagen remodels to withstand the stresses that are placed up on it. Tissue remodeling is dependant on the forces that are applied the tissue. If the injured person is performing appropriate strengthening exercises, the collagen will remodel to withstand the stresses placed upon it. With exercise, this remodeling will lead to a complete recovery of the injured tissue, along with a decreased chance of re- injury. Without appropriate strength training, the possibility of re-injury is very high, no matter what therapy the patient has received.

In summation:

· Active Release Techniques can achieve amazing results when treating musculoskeletal conditions, but it is not a cure-all.

· ART is accumulating a vast amount of statistical data to support its results, as well as many independent scientific studies.

· ART can often achieve even more remarkable results when combined with other modalities (my opinion).

· You should check your practitioner’s current certification with ART.

· Exercise is an essential component of any rehabilitative program - no matter what the technique. Exercise should not be considered to be an “option”, it is “essential”.

If you are looking for effective exercises to support your treatment and rehabilitation plan, then you should check our two new books in the Release Your Kinetic Chain series. The exercise routines in these books are designed to support your treatment, while focusing on activating and reconnecting all the tissues of your kinetic chain.

For more information, visit www.releaseyourbody.com. If you would like information about our clinic please go to www.drabelson.com.

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