Active release technique course (ART)

[goldstcy]

I am currently taking a recert course for lower extremity here in Toronto, and noticed there are alot more MT's taking the course than normal, still mostly chiro's and several physios. Even the organizer mentioned mt number have really started to raise over the last year or so.

For those that are not familiar with art, it's a patented system of treating soft tissue adhesions/restrictions etc, used mainly by chiro's. I have found that my patients love it, and get better faster with the combo tx including mt & art. Yeh it cost alot, but I made my money back for each course so far.

 

[tooon68]

Active release technique course (ART)

From what I've seen of ART, it appears to be a variation of pin & stretch, with more pressure. As I understand it, the therapist finds the adhesion, applies firm pressure, and directs the client to actively lengthen the tissues.

Is that about right? I would appreciate a detailed description of the basic method, particularly if what I have stated is incorrect.

 

[gustavo r]

Active release technique course (ART)

I can't speak for RMT4U who has actually taken a course in ART. But I've been to an ART practitioner and the work is very similar to a combination of pin and stretch, using both passive AND active engagement techniques that are used with isolated muscle movements, (as in Mattes work with isolating the muscle-- but no MET). I just can't imagine paying that much $$ to learn such a simple concept-- except you are paying for the certification. When I had the session, I was surprised to find that I've been doing very similar type, if not some of the same type of work the ART practitioner does, except I can't advertise that I do ART.

 

[Yahoo! Answers Team]

Active release technique course (ART)

Almost half of all ART protocols involve nerve entrapment. For a simple example, the sciatic nerve trapped in the piriformis to resolve some cases of sciatica. Or, the median nerve trapped in the pronator teres muscle to treat carpal tunnel. Also, many of the protocols involve determining if there is an adhesion between two adjacent structures, and then using the correct motion of the area while applying tension in order to break up the adhesion and separate them. I don't know if pin and stretch is that in depth. Maybe it is. I don't know.

 

[~Stabbing the Drama~]

Active release technique course (ART)

Thanks for your response, pureprecision. Techniques such as pin and stretch or active engagement (AE) can be used as in-depth as the ART as you've described, finding the "adhesion" between the two structures and using the pin/stretch or AE techniques to relieve the "adhesion".

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that the pin and stretch and AE techniques are that in-depth depending on the skill of the therapist using it. From what I've experienced as a client and an observer of those using ART and speaking with an ART practitioner, it's not that different except maybe the amount of $$ and time one spends for the certificate.

 

[Jabroni711]

Active release technique course (ART)

And it is not just a one time certification. I believe you have to pay to use the name ART every year.

I hear a lot of people use MRT which is supposed to be the same thing but with no 'brand name' attached to it.

 

[Curious]

Active release technique course (ART)

And it is not just a one time certification. I believe you have to pay to use the name ART every year.

I hear a lot of people use MRT which is supposed to be the same thing but with no 'brand name' attached to it.

I have studied the book on Muscle Release Technique (MRT); the basic technique is often applied in an "area effect" way. Rather than try to pinpoint small trouble spots, you use MRT to work over the whole area. It is an AE technique based in part on AIS, but with the addition of manual frictioning during the movement. MRT is a reasonably quick way to work over a large area and fits well into a full-body session or sports massage. It is possible to apply it very specifically, but I rarely use it that way.

 

[Sierra]

Active release technique course (ART)

I've taken MRT with Michael Young (it was actually my first CEU class!) and I would add that it is not the same thing as ART, nor does it have the same intent of use. ART uses more active engagement work, whereas the MRT is putting a muscle into a passive stretch for 2 seconds while applying pressure along the length.

It is amazing how many techniques out there are so similar and it seems to be the intent of use by the therapist that makes the biggest difference.

 

[Alexei]

Active release technique course (ART)

And it is not just a one time certification. I believe you have to pay to use the name ART every year.

I hear a lot of people use MRT which is supposed to be the same thing but with no 'brand name' attached to it.

You don't have to just pay to use the name every year, I think every 3 or 5 years you have to re certify, you have to retake a portion of the course. I think you only have to be there for 3 of the 4 days, or 2 of the 4, I don't remember. I took the upper extremity portion in Toronto 6 years ago, and while I found it extremely helpful, and it has been a huge addition to my practice, it was prohibitively expensive. I don't live in Toronto, and the course and "discount" was offered in one of the most expensive hotels in downtown Toronto, and the hotels that were in the area, while slightly less expensive still very expensive. The "creator" or the technique books the techniques around key sporting events in the cities he travels to, so things are more expensive because he wants tickets to them (his right, and people pay, so more power to him). I have found it to be very hard on my hands and thumbs. I can't do a full day of ART without feeling it in my thumbs and forearms.

I made the decision not to re certify because of the cost. I do still offer upper body art in my practice, but I don't advertise it in my materials, and am clear that I only took the upper body, so if someone asks for lower body, I make it very clear I did not take the course, but I can still help. I'm sure if you ask Dr Leahy, he would be quite upset with me. But I have had phenomenal results working on tendonitis and frozen shoulder, and knowing the basic techniques has made me a better therapist for the entire body. But then again, every course I have taken has made me a better therapist, in some way shape or form.

So there are some good and bad things about the technique, and it isn't for every therapist that is for sure