The Active Release Soft Tissue Management System was developed and founded by Dr. Michael Leahy. Dr. Leahy used his background in engineering and his knowledge of the human body to develop a technique that completely addressed all aspects of soft tissue injury.

Active Release provides a way to diagnose and treat the underlying causes of a variety of conditions collectively called "cumulative trauma disorders". In fact, impressive research has been conducted at the University of California and ART's effect on them. You may also have heard these conditions referred to as repetitive stress injuries or "overuse" syndromes. Some examples include rotator cuff syndrome, shoulder impingement, tendonitis, tennis elbow, sprains/strains, sciatica, plantar fascitis etc. Other conditions that fall directly into this category are post-operative scar tissue, carpal tunnel, chronic low back pain, and hyper extension / flexion injury (whiplash).

To understand soft tissue injury, you must comprehend the basic mechanism of cumulative injury. Cumulative trauma disorder is the major injury problem facing the workforce, as well as, the general population in this country. Federal statistics show that it now surpasses back pain, and has increased by 670 percent in the last 5 years. Past therapies such as massage, heat, cold, electrical stimulation, rest, exercise and surgery, have shown to be relatively ineffective in their treatment.

Symptoms associated with cumulative trauma disorders can include tingling, burning, aching and weaknesses. When a muscle, tendon, ligament, or nerve is damaged from trauma or overuse, the body will attempt to repair the damage by laying down scar tissue. These scar tissue adhesions left untreated perpetuate the cumulative injury cycle and result in progressive loss of function and increased pain. Soft tissue dysfunction often leads to a loss of flexibility, strength, and range of motion. People often attribute these losses to "just getting old", but this is seldom the case.

Active Release separates, releases, and stretches the connective tissue adhesions, restores vascular and lymph circulation, and increases your range of motion, flexibility, and strength.

The treatments can be a bit uncomfortable, or even a little painful, but this pain is an important indicator that the problem has been located and signals that the treatments are correcting the injury. Patients often describe it as a "good hurt".

Active Release is a highly successful approach to injuries of muscles, tendons, nerves, and the surrounding soft tissues. Active Release is not massage or physical therapy. While those procedures relieve muscle and motion dysfunction, they do not necessarily address the underlying problems caused by scar tissue formation.

The three most common mechanisms of injury are:

• Acute trauma
• Constant pressure
• Repetitive motion

All three are a part of the cumulative injury cycle. Soft tissue structures in the body change or adapt with time: these changes are predictable and can be felt by the doctor. Chronic or "older" injuries actually feel different from acute or recent ones.

Active Release has proven to be especially valuable for athletes, from the professional to the beginner. Ninety percent of the time athletes with acute or long- standing muscular strain/sprain injuries experience complete recovery -- in a short period of time.