Active Release Technique for Everyone

NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins was quoted this weekend after his game saying, “We do a lot of tissue work here, and at my age, it’s especially helpful. Everybody is doing tissue work pregame and in the locker room every single day.” A 38 year old quarterback is highlighting how impactful soft tissue work is to his performance on the field. Not all of us have the luxury of getting treatment every single day, but there is a reason why these players are getting it every single day - it works. At Hamilton Chiropractic, I see changes made daily to patients in my office while using Active Release Techniques (ART) and some of them can be quite profound even in one session. We’re not all NFL quarterbacks, but we can be treated like one while laying on the treatment table.

Recently I have been seeing a lot of patients with nerve tension issues which can cause a decrease in range of motion and an increase in pain. The symptoms can also be similar to your classic sciatica or “carpal tunnel.” Not many people know that ART is one of the best ways to treat these issues and the results can be astounding. It is actually common to clear a nerve issue in one day if the issue has not been around long enough for the nerve to be damaged significantly. The key is finding where the tension is coming from and releasing the structure that may be compressing the nerve or keeping the nerve from sliding easily. This can be in the neck, arm, hip, leg, etc. Chiropractic adjustment alone will not do this which is why ART gets fast results. Once the tension is released, the range of motion will increase and the pain will decrease.

There is a reason why athletes benefit so much from ART. If a nerve is under tension creating pain and a decrease in range of motion, it is quite obvious that an athlete will not be able to perform at his/her best. The teams that are the healthiest throughout the season, are usually the ones going deep into the playoffs. The players that are the healthiest, feel their best, are more confident, and have higher rates of success on the field while missing the least amount of time. Many people think that chiropractors just treat spine pain, but at Hamilton Chiropractic, I use ART to treat everything that comes into my office. Athletes have a clear benefit, but the average person can use ART to feel better at work, do more with their kids, get more out of their workouts, and just have more pain-free days to get through the week. After all, life is a game and we’re all athletes trying to play at our best.