Any one have any experience with ART (Active Release Therapy)?
Yes. I am a big fan. Have had several issues fixed using it, both myself and Mrs ML.
+1 …nothing but good has come out of it for me.
I don’t use it regularly, only when aches and pains arise. It usually works for me each time.
Yes - extensive. Works for me. And, fortunately, the sports med doc I see is certified so I can have him do it and insurance covers it. If you have not tried it, give it a shot but you will have to have several sessions - and, it hurts.
+1. I probably wouldn’t be running today without it. It has gotten me back on the road much quicker than any other technique. It’s not a cure-all, but it does the trick when you have certain types of soft tissue injuries.
will it help a hamstring tweak? Felt a twinge in a sprint du last weekend and have another (more important) race in 10 days. At what point is the hammy “healed” and will ART help it?
thanks
I am a firm believer that any treatment is better than no treatment at all. Find someone who is certified and let them work on it 3-4 times. So far, ART has always worked for me - I have only had it done to legs - never upper body so can’t speak to that.
Yeah, I forgot that part. It hurts like a sumnabitch.
My first ART experience was in '05, trying to recover from a badly sprained ankle in time for Timberman (which was about 5 weeks out from when I injured it).
Having ART therapy on a very swollen injury like that was excruciatingly painful. I think waterboarding would be much more pleasant.
But, it worked. And I have ST to thank for it, as I asked here for advice, and was told to look into ART back then.
I’ve had it again off and on since then, for:
rotator cuff - (a chronic issue that had gotten so bad, I couldn’t even do pushups anymore) which is nearly perfect now.
calf pull - got me running again last year when I was otherwise on the shelf. Rest, stretching, etc were completely ineffective.
(I’ve got that to a lesser extent again this year, but my ART guy is out of town this week - RATS!!!)
deep thigh muscle issue - still don’t know what the hell it was, but I never woulda made it thru Demi Esprit and AmZof w/o ART
plantar fasciitis - had it lingering this year, then one ART treatement, and it was SO much better.
piriformis - I get this on again/off again. ART for that hurts bad, I feel like I’ve been beaten w/ a 2x4 the next day, but then the day after that - magic.
The biggest success story for our family was my wife. She has a herniated disk, and it got so bad, she was considering surgery.
Regular Chiro, PT, epidurals, stretching, you name it - nothing worked. She was literally crippled.
After her first ART treatment, she was able to bend down and touch the floor. Amazing.
She went for several more treatments, and has been able to manage it since then, w/ stretching etc.
But if it flares up again, back to the ART doc she goes.
My current guy takes insurance, so a $25 co-pay a visit. Best $ I could spend.
I have my first session on Friday and I’m not sure what to expect. It was recommended to me by my coach for a couple specific issues, but I don’t know how extensive it is.
For those who have tried it, does the therapy only focus on known issues or can it help prevent injuries as well? Anything I need to know or need to tell the therapist to make the session more worthwhile?
My first experience with ART: Partially tore my right calf muscle during a duathlon (felt like somebody threw a rock into the back of my calf when it popped).
Came into ART office three days later on crutches. Came out of office off crutches, but limping. 3 more treatments, no more limping. 2 more treatments (6 treatments total, over a 3 week period, with my ART PT showing me the proper way to stretch my calves) and I was back to running 5Ks with NO pain, NO residual tightness, NO problems.
I’ve never had a problem with that calf muscle again.
I’ve been in & out of my ART PT’s office over the years since that first visit, for various aches & pains, and have never NOT gotten relief. Some have taken significantly longer than others, but ALL have been taken care of.
That’s my story. Your mileage may vary.
Hope this helps!
Brian
Another +1. I’m a big fan; it’s helped with issues that regular massage and chiropractic didn’t. Get someone who knows both chiro and ART.
I go to Dan Selstad in Solana Beach CA.
Made my hip tendonitis and bursitis almost vanish in a month.
No NSAID’s since i started seeing him.
I have my first session on Friday and I’m not sure what to expect. It was recommended to me by my coach for a couple specific issues, but I don’t know how extensive it is.
For those who have tried it, does the therapy only focus on known issues or can it help prevent injuries as well? Anything I need to know or need to tell the therapist to make the session more worthwhile?
It can do both. Let them know the known issues. Often they’ll look at other muscles that have started to get issues as they compensate for the original injury, and address those too. Just like a massage therapist, they can feel areas that are locked up and address those. For me that meant checking to see if shoulder issues were pulling my hips out of alignment…even though I didn’t come in with any run/bike issues.
In my case ART wasn’t too painful (much less so than deep tissue massage), but I was quite sore later (whereas I never am with massage), but this was more of an irritant and didn’t stop any workouts. That being said I noticed an immediate improvement in mobility, and by the 3rd session I didn’t get residual soreness.
I have my first session on Friday and I’m not sure what to expect. It was recommended to me by my coach for a couple specific issues, but I don’t know how extensive it is.
For those who have tried it, does the therapy only focus on known issues or can it help prevent injuries as well? Anything I need to know or need to tell the therapist to make the session more worthwhile?
I can only comment on the work that I’ve had done (obviously) but my sessions were a combination of the ART and a discussion of the types of exercises that I should do to keep the injury from coming back. Very often, soft tissue injuries are the result of a muscle imbalance, and it’s important to strengthen the weaker muscles so that the injury doesn’t come back. The best thing about ART is that it gets you right back out training while you work on those other issues.
Where are you located? Someone here might have a recommendation for someone in your area.
I have my first session on Friday and I’m not sure what to expect. It was recommended to me by my coach for a couple specific issues, but I don’t know how extensive it is.
For those who have tried it, does the therapy only focus on known issues or can it help prevent injuries as well? Anything I need to know or need to tell the therapist to make the session more worthwhile?
I can only comment on the work that I’ve had done (obviously) but my sessions were a combination of the ART and a discussion of the types of exercises that I should do to keep the injury from coming back. Very often, soft tissue injuries are the result of a muscle imbalance, and it’s important to strengthen the weaker muscles so that the injury doesn’t come back. The best thing about ART is that it gets you right back out training while you work on those other issues.
Where are you located? Someone here might have a recommendation for someone in your area.
I’m just outside of Nashville. I went through the ART website to find a certified therapist in the area. I believe it’s called the Renkens Center. For as much as they charge, I would imagine they know what they’re doing (not always a good assumption).
Thanks for the rundown. I’m interested to see how it works out!
Another +1 for ART. I have used it for both injuries and as a preventative. I had no issues training for my last IM, I credit ART for that. My practicioner is both ART and chiro. LOVE it.
I have been going for ART treatment since last year. Originally for a really bad ITB injury. In the past, would have gone to Ortho, paid all sorts of Lab, X-Ray, doc visit Co-pays, prescriptions etc. and ended up laying off for 1 month plus. This time after the first session I was running again. I ended up deciding to take two weeks off, since it was the off season and no really important race. I think after 2 weeks and the sessions I was much better than I was after NSAIDS, ice and rest. Several sessions and the stretches he had me do at home, and the ITB was great. Really worked on the rest of the hip / leg area and resolving the tightness that lead to the injury.
I am still going once per week now. My doc is one of the ART docs who works the IM events, so he has a better understanding of triathlete injuries and needs than other ART docs might. I have always been very inflexible and have been working on that. We worked on my calves and ankle area, and it has really helped my flexibility and kicking during the swim. I also think I could now drop my aerobars another inch on my bike with the increased flexibility, and I feel like I am not fighting my legs as much on the run. Currently I have had some issues with an old deep injury in a hamstring. Everytime I have brought my mileage back up (run or bike) it has flared up and I could definitely notice the scar tissue. That has been the current target, and so far the sessions have worked great. As previously mentioned they can REALLY hurt. My doc schedules me right before his lunch break, so there is no one in the waiting area to hear me scream! But I’ve had much worse in PT before. Apparently the Grafton technique can be even more painful but also effective.
Worth every penny and minute of my time for me so far.
Another recommendation here and yes, it does hurt. The pain is worth it though. The chiro I go to specializes in sports-related injuries and is also ART certified (he has run the ART tent at Kona a few times). He’s been a big help to me over the years in treating nagging inuries and helping me get race-ready.