Chiropractic Techniques

Active Release Technique

Active Release Techniques® is a unique form of manual therapy administered by trained professionals to damaged soft tissue, restoring movement and eliminating pain.

Muscles are composed of tiny filaments of tissue that run parallel to one another, allowing each muscle to move freely. When a muscle is injured, these filaments tear. Some muscle tissue injuries are sudden like tears and sprains. Others are the result of "cumulative trauma" like carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and bursitis. Regardless of the cause the body reacts to the injury in a similar way, by filling the damaged area with inferior tissue known as fibrous adhesions. Adhesions can develop between muscles or within muscles. Still, the result is the same; the once parallel filaments of muscle tissue get bound together so they no longer slide and glide freely, impairing movement and causing pain.

ART is the first and only treatment designed specifically to treat these soft tissue problems. Combining an understanding of biomechanics and movement with hands-on manual mobilization and manipulation techniques, ART allows the practitioner to go right to the heart of the problem and resolve it, with a success rate of over 90%.

A specific method of adjusting that utilizes an instrument delivering a mechanically determined amount of low force as treatment. The chiropractor uses an instrument called an Activator to make your adjustment. It is a small hand held impact tool in which a quick snap is applied to correct a vertebral mis-alignment according to a set pattern. Activator uses various movements and tests to determine where the subluxation is. Correction is made using the Activator Adjusting Instrument to give consistent low-force, high-speed chiropractic adjustments rather than directly by hand

The handheld Activator instrument is specifically designed to deliver a controlled, light and fast thrust without undue strain to the patient. The thrust delivered by the instrument is so quick that it accelerates ahead of the body's tendency to tighten up and resist the thrust of an adjustment.

Developed originally by Dr. Clay Thompson. He developed the drop table (Thompson Table) that was fully patented in 1957. He discovered pelvic displacement patterns and a correlation between pelvic displacements and difference of leg length. This analysis can be used to assess more accurately the location of a subluxation depending on the response in the body. The adjustment is assisted by the use of what is known as a drop piece. This drops away gently to assist the removal of the subluxation as the adjustment is made with the patient lying face down.