Hey y’all…anybody out there tried ART (Active Release Therapy)? My wife has been battling chronic lower back/butt/hamstring pain and numbness off and on for some time now. She’s tried traditional massage and more focused physical therapy treatments which did offer some temporary relief, but the problem keeps returning and seems to be getting worse. She’s no wuss…2nd AG at IM WI '02 and 2nd AG Kona '03, so I know when it’s getting to her it must be BAD. I suspect it’s sciatica based on her description and I’m looking for some input. Anybody tried ART for sciatica or similar low back/butt pain? Did it help? If you’ve found anything else that has helped, lemme know. Thanks.
I have not, but I think you might have her start with a chiropractor (if she hasn’t done so already). I actually made my first visit to the chiro yesterday. I’ve got a herniated disc between L4&L5 and some slight hip/butt pain and soreness…could be related to the disc, could just be an IT band thing. The pain is definitely bearable, it’s just an constant low back soreness/tightness. I’m just to the point where I want some other opinions and possibly seek “alternative” treatments (MD prescribed PT didn’t work).
I’m going back on Friday to discuss the various diagnostics that he ran yesterday and I plan to ask him about ART. I’ll let you know what I find out, if you’re interested. I’ve heard people swear by ART and myofascial release, which is enough for me to at least give it a chance. Everybody’s different of course, but you never know until you try…
Andy
Go to activerelease.com. Find a provider that is a chiropractor who is ART certified. This way, the provider can use a variety of techniques to loosen her up. That was the route I went for chronicaly stiff lower back/hamstrings. I’ve been going a few times a week for a couple months now, and feeling much better. After 1 week of treatment, I saw a 30W jump in my CP30 test on the bike.
Worth checking into.
AF
Andy - thanks! I’d definitely be interested in hearing what you find out. Hope this does the trick for ya’.
I tried ART about a year ago for a nerve impingement that was causing lower back and hip flexor pain, and numbness in the upper middle part of my thigh. I’d definitely recommend finding an ART practitioner that’s also a chiropractor, as the proper course of treatment will usually be more than just ART. I was very happy with the results from ART, and have since had ART for other minor issues. My wife (non triathlete) has also had ART for chronic lower back pain. She had gone for years with this pain and had just learned to live with it. Within a couple weeks of treatment (3x/week) she noticed a significant improvement in pain. It still flares up periodically, but ART has always been able to provide her relief. Good luck.
I have had ART done on my knee and I am actually going in to have it done again in an hour or so. It is not as bad as a deep tissue massage. It does help. I am trying to find a solution to why my abductor and lower quad is continuously getting tight. For a resolution that works for a while ART is good. Find the source of the problem (running gait, cleat placement) and you will be in much better shape. Good luck.
Kevin
I have had great success with an ART/chiropractor with hip and high ITB pain. It ususally takes a few sessions, but each time it flares up, I’ve been able to run pain free again.
clm
Not. ART… but, I have had a very simular treatment that involved Myofacial Release Therapy w/ active motion. It worked for a lower back problem.
The only negative issue involved during the process was that I saw monkeys… followed by a semi-conscious state of tempory pain… followed by a short stuttering questions to the doctor - … did I owe you money, have sex with wife or something? Geees… that was painful.
Felt good later… but damn, that stuff can definately make you see monkeys.
FWIW Joe Moya
Felt good later… but damn, that stuff can definately make you see monkeys.
Hell, it made me start shaving my legs. It only takes one ART treatment on a hairy thigh (and I mean HAIRY) to make one a leg-shaver for life.
Before dropping some ca$h on ART, which I do not doubt is the total shiznit, you may want to consider learning some self-massage techniques. May cost less, and has helped me manage pains & strains in my ITB, calf, shin, neck, quad, etc.
The book is called “the pain-free triathlete” and it’s available from http://www.julstro.com
There’s some techniques for relieving sciatica in that book. Be patient, it will take time for her to gain relief. By the sounds of it, she’s been enduring the ever-increasing pain for a while.
Thanks for all the input and suggestions everybody! I located a local ART practitioner who’s also a chiro and I’m gently prodding her to make the call. We’ve tried the self-massage route on top of her own PT/massage therapy and apart from it being kinda fun it wasn’t a ton of help. After all she’s been through, I think she’d be willing to trade some monkey hallucinations for a little relief…
ART is definitely a good option to explore. You can go see a chiro, too, but most ART practitioners have a background in chiropractic. Besides, ART addresses muscles and muscles have memory. If you go get an adjustment from a chiro, the minute you get up from the table your body is going back to what it remembers. The soft tissue must be worked on or the relief is temporary. That being said, you may also want to seek the help of a CHEK practioner. ART has helped me get thru a serious back injury as well as some overuse injuries typical of triathletes. But you ultimately have to get to the root of the problem, too. If, for example, the ART doc works on your wife’s psoas, allowing it to move/perform more effectively and not pull on the lumbar spine, you have to ask “why is the psoas in a state of tonicity?” Perhaps her pelvic tilt is more than it should be. Could this be because she doesn’t know how to train her lower abs correctly, overdeveloping the rectus abdominus and causing the psoas to be easily facilitated? Is this, in turn, inhibiting the glutes alowing even more pelvic tilt? Are her lats so tight from swimming or poor posture that her hamstrings, glutes, and lower abs aren’t strong enough to counter their pulling the pelvis anteriorly? Get some relief thru ART but, at the same time, fix the training/posture/length and tension/strength imbalances that caused the problem in the first place. A CHEK practitioner will analyze all of these areas, allowing you to avoid any problems in the future.