By Dr. Hamid Sadri- First Choice Healthcare

Active Release Techniques (A.R.T.) is a new and extremely effective approach to treating soft tissue injuries and the resulting pain and is utilized by more than 3500 certified providers, including medical doctors, chiropractors, athletic trainers, physical therapists, etc. worldwide. The technique is very popular with professional athletes and teams (NFL, NHL, NBA, etc.) and is used regularly by amateur and professional athletes alike, not only to help with rapid injury recovery, but also for improving their athletic performance.

Acute trauma or overuse, sometimes referred to as Repetitive Strain Injury or RSI, is generally the common cause of insult to the soft tissue (muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, joint capsules, fascia, etc.). Many of the routine daily activities performed at work or home or while playing sports can result in accumulative injuries to soft tissues. In short, these injuries result in formation of adhesions (fibrotic tissue) within or in between normal tissues, which hinder the proper flow of blood through the area, resulting in a decreased partial pressure of oxygen. This will in turn cause the body to lay down more fibrotic tissue in the area, eventually causing that particular tissue to become “dysfunctional,” with the end result being improper function and pain in the affected region.

A.R.T. is a form of hands-on or "Manual Therapy". It is a method of locating and treating the injured/affected soft tissue so that the process of "Repair, Remodeling, and, Maturation" produces a better outcome in a shorter period of time. Clinical findings indicate that mechanical loading techniques such as ART help produce increased wound healing ALONG the lines of the injured tissue. As a result, the healed structure is not only stronger and more resistant to future injury, but it also has improved functionality. ART has gained tremendous popularity in the athletic community due to its ability to produce fast and long lasting pain relief and function-restoration, allowing the athletes to continue to train and compete.

According to the latest research, immobilization or bracing, which is commonly used after traumatic injuries, results in a prolonged healing time as well as a weaker healed tissue. Contrary to the above approach, ART combines both passive and active Range of Movement (ROM) in its treatment protocols. Its specific approach allows for differentiation between various structures, thereby allowing the practitioner to locate and treat the CORRECT structure. Combining the manual loading technique with the proper ROM and the specificity of locating and treating the correct anatomical structure allows for the break up of fibrotic tissues and their proper realignment during the healing cycle. ART provides very specific treatment protocols for over 300 muscular injuries and 100 peripheral nerve entrapments as well as many tendonous and ligamentous injuries. This is what sets A.R.T. apart from all other soft tissue techniques and has caused many world class athletes and athletic professionals to turn to this method of treatment for help.

Dr. Sadri and his team at First Choice Healthcare have been fanatically caring for our athletes at both their Decatur location for several years, and most recently, at The Sport Factory's new Roswell location. He can be reached through his practice at First Choice Healthcare.