Sprains, strains and other soft-tissue injuries can be painful, frustrating and sometimes hard to shake off. Your muscles, tendons and ligaments are what we call soft-tissues.

Sometimes soft-tissues become injured, sprained or strained, due to a sudden movement, too much force being put on them, playing sports or due to repeated activity.

These conditions are called acute soft-tissue injuries. The immediate pain and swelling can be worrying, but it’s important to remember that the majority of soft-tissue injuries will heal and recover well if you treat them correctly. 

One treatment that specifically addresses soft tissue injuries is called Active Release Techniques or ART. ART® is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.

How do Overuse Conditions Occur?

Over-used muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:

• acute conditions (pulls, tears, collisions, etc)
• accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)
• not getting enough oxygen (hypoxia)

Each of these factors can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.

What is an ART® treatment Like?

Every ART® session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. The ART® provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements.

These treatment protocols - over 500 specific moves - are unique to ART®. They allow providers to identify and correct the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient. ART® is not a cookie-cutter approach.

If you’re experiencing symptoms or conditions resulting from soft tissue injuries, contact Dr. Michael Matury at the Great Falls Chiropractic Clinic who is a certified ART practioneer or go online to gfccmt.com/