Frisco Chiropractor Uses Active Release Techniques For Sports Injury

July 20, 2009

We live in an energetic, active community so it is no surprise that many of our Frisco chiropractic patients are injured athletes. Younger athletes typically arrive with trauma like muscle tears, sprains and pulls from colliding or falling during competition. Their parents are more likely to show up with golf injuries like “rotator cuff syndrome”, tennis injury such as “tennis elbow” or “Achilles tendonitis” from jogging.

With Active Release Techniques® our Frisco chiropractic center can quickly diagnose and treat the result of sports trauma and the underlying causes of pain from repetitive stress injury. Many of our patients have immediate improvement on their first visit and complete recovery within 4-9 visits depending upon the injury and its severity. It is particularly valuable for athletes who can return to top performance quickly.

Different Injuries – Same Cause

These seemingly different types of injury – “sports trauma” and “overuse injury” – are actually quite similar in that the pain, stiffness and lack of flexibility has the same source – our bodies’ healing responses to injury.

Adhesions Are Fibrous Scars

When damaged, tendons, muscles and ligaments are repaired by the body’s adding fibrous tissue to them and around them – scar tissue. Less flexible than the original muscle and more sensitive to pain, the scar tissue is meant to be laid down along the length of muscles to isolate and strengthen them. Sometimes the tissue is laid down irregularly – across the muscle width or even is attached to nearby structures and other muscles. These “adhesions” can result in pain, loss of flexibility and diminished strength.

Active Release Techniques are designed to lengthen muscles, separate them, and eliminate adhesions caused by improper scarring. Range of motion is thereby increased, flexibility and muscle strength improved, and inflammation and pain reduced.

Combining Diagnosis With “Manual” Treatment

Each Active Release session that we provide at our Frisco chiropractic center combines examination of the injury and a treatment specific to that area. ART is a “manual” process; we use our hands to evaluate tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves for tightness and range of movement, even the texture of muscles is noted. Abnormal tissue is treated by applying specific, directed tension to muscles while the patient performs slow, full-range movements – the “active” part of Active Release. In this way adhesions are stretched and broken away from their improper placement, muscles then move smoothly over one another.

Because Active Release Techniques are very focused on individual structures they are similar to aggressive exercise in that the treatment can initially be uncomfortable. After ART sessions we usually provide ultrasound treatment of the affected area to reduce inflammation and promote healing.

Active Release Techniques® Is For Everyone

Active Release Techniques can benefit anyone. From injuries in the heat of competition to slowly accumulating aches, pains and tingling years in the making, Active Release Technique is a fast, non-invasive and effective healing approach for many soft tissue injuries.

- Dr. Grant Stowell, DC
Wellness Care Chiropractic Frisco TX

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