Active Release Technique at Clearly Family Chiropractic

Muscle tightness and lingering pain can really disrupt daily life. At Clearly Family Chiropractic in Woodstock, GA, Dr. Matthew Cleary offers active release technique to help ease these issues and restore smooth, pain-free movement.

What Is Active Release Technique?

Active release technique—often called ART—is a hands-on therapy that focuses on muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves that may have become tight or restricted. Over time, small injuries or repetitive strain can cause scar tissue or adhesions to build up, limiting how these tissues move and causing discomfort.

During an ART session, Dr. Cleary uses targeted pressure while guiding movement in the affected area, gently releasing these tight spots and helping the tissues work properly again.

This technique is often helpful for conditions like back pain, neck pain, headaches, plantar fasciitis, knee pain, and issues caused by a herniated disc or whiplash.

How ART Fits Into a Broader Care Plan

ART rarely stands alone at Clearly Family Chiropractic. It usually pairs with other treatments like:

• Chiropractic adjustments to correct spinal alignment and improve nerve function.
• Chiropractic biophysics aimed at better posture and spinal structure.
• Shockwave therapy for stubborn soft tissue injuries.
• Specialized auto injury treatments tailored to accident recovery.
• Decompression therapy to reduce pressure on spinal discs.
• Posture correction strategies to help keep pain from returning.

Working together, these therapies provide a comprehensive approach that addresses both symptoms and root causes.

Why Choose Active Release Technique?

Many patients notice quick improvement with ART. By breaking down scar tissue and boosting circulation, it helps the body heal naturally. Whether recovering from an injury or managing chronic discomfort, ART offers a non-invasive option for relief and improved mobility.

Ready to Feel Better?

If tight muscles or pain are holding you back, Dr. Matthew Cleary and the team at Clearly Family Chiropractic in Woodstock, GA, are here to help. They create customized plans that blend ART with other therapies for lasting results. To schedule an appointment, call 678-494-9668 today.

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Active Release:

ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.

How do overuse conditions occur?

Over-used muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:

- acute conditions (pulls, tears, collisions, etc)
- accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)
- not getting enough oxygen (hypoxia)

Each of these factors can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.

What is an ART treatment like?

Every ART session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. The ART provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements.

These treatment protocols – over 500 specific moves – are unique to ART. They allow providers to identify and correct the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient. ART is not a cookie-cutter approach.

What is the history of Active Release Techniques?

ART has been developed, refined, and patented by P. Michael Leahy, DC, CCSP. Dr. Leahy noticed that his patients’ symptoms seemed to be related to changes in their soft tissue that could be felt by hand. By observing how muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves responded to different types of work, Dr. Leahy was able to consistently resolve over 90% of his patients’ problems. He now teaches and certifies health care providers all over the world to use ART.

Information provided by:
http://www.activerelease.com