Search our sites for the information you need! Active Release Techniques Active Release Techniques, or ART, is a patented, soft tissue system that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. - Dr. Brian Abelson is a Active Release Instructor and the author of "Release Your Pain" the first book written for the general public on Active Release Technqiues.   In this page... Conditions we treat with Active Release Techniques About Active Release Techniques at Kinetic Health About Active Release (ART) Videos of ART treatment Frequently asked questions Articles published by Dr. Abelson Making an appointment at Kinetic Health Join our practitioners corner

ART provides effective treatment for: Achilles tendonitis Ankle Injuries Back Pain/Injuries Bursitis Carpal tunnel syndrome Compartment syndrome (Chronic) De Quervains's tenosynovitis Dupuytren's contracture Foot pain/injury Frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis Golfers/Tennis elbow (Tendonitis) Golf Injuries Hand Injuries Headaches Hip Pain Ilio tibial band syndrome Knee Pain		Leg Injuries Neck Pain Plantar Fascitis Repetitive strain injuries Rotator cuff syndrome Running Injuries Sciatica Shin splints Shoulder Pain Sports Injuries Tendinitis Tennis elbow Thoracic outlet syndrome Throwing Injuries TMJ Whiplash Wrist Injuries
Active Release Techniques ® Active Release Techniques (ART) has become one of most sought after soft-tissue treatments in the world today. ART is often your best bet in resolving a chronic soft tissue injury. It is one of the most effective forms of treatment for wide variety of soft tissue and repetitive-motion injuries. ART can aid in the rapid recovery from a broad range of soft-tissue injuries. ART is widely used by industry professionals suffering from cumulative injury traumas, as well as athletes (both professional and week-end warriors) who have suffered from a sports-related injury. For example, ART has helped Olympic athletes from many countries achieve gold medals. At Kinetic health we provide a very high standard of care with Active Release Techniques. Dr. Abelson is a fully certified provider of ART, and an instructor of ART. In addition Dr. Abelson is the contributing author of the ART Online Biomechanics Manual - which is used by ART to train other physicians in biomechanical analysis and ART. He is also the co-author of the only book about ART which has been written for the general public. How you can benefit from the ART Method? The power of Active Release Techniques lies in its ability to effectively resolve chronic injuries that have not responded to other forms of therapy. If you have a soft tissue injury, your best bet for a complete resolution is to use a combination of Active Release Techniques with a solid program of rehabilitative exercises.		Learn more about Active Release Techniques. Read the first book, written for the the general public, about this technique. Would you like to learn more about ART and how it works? Or perhaps understand just what is the real cause of your soft-tissue pain?   This book provides understandable explanations about the real cause of your soft-tissue injuries. Read our best-selling book, written by Dr. Abelson, about Active Release Techniques and find the answers to your questions! "If you have a soft-tissue problem, then read this book, and don't be satisfied with anything but the real solution. " Dr. Mike Leahy, developer of ART Order Your Copy Today

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About Active Release Techniques Active Release Techniques (ART) was developed by Dr. Michael Leahy, a Doctor of Chiropractic, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Prior to becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Leahy was an aeronautical engineer. Combining his engineering background, with his knowledge of human anatomy and soft-tissue treatment methodologies, Dr. Leahy formulated a unique and effective approach for dealing with soft-tissue injuries, now known as Active Release Techniques or ART. ART is a hands-on therapy that corrects muscular and soft-tissue problems that are caused by the formation of adhesive tissues that are laid down due to overuse or cumulative trauma. Soft Tissue Injuries can end your career! Cumulative trauma and overuse of soft-tissue causes Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI). The incidence of RSI's is skyrocketing. Recently, the health care costs for RSI in the U.S. surpassed costs for low back pain as the largest health care expenditure. It is estimated that the cost of RSI's in the US alone exceeds $110 billion yearly. Soft tissue that is forced to perform the same job over and over becomes irritated and then inflamed. The body responds to inflammation by laying down scar tissue (adhesive tissue) in an attempt to stabilize the area. Once this happens, an ongoing cycle begins that worsens the condition. The longer this condition persists, the harder is is to break this cycle. ART provides a way to locate, diagnose, and treat the underlying causes of cumulative trauma disorders . These disorders result in symptoms of: Numbness. Tingling. Burning. Aching. See About Injury Care in our Active Release web site for more information about this soft-tissue injury process. Read Release Your Pain - our best selling book about Repetitive Strain Injuries and Active Release Techniques for more details about your specific type of soft-tissue injury. Dr. Brian Abelson and Dr. Mike Leahy

What do our patients have to say? Canadian Ironman Competitor Massimo Sperinde of Italy August 2003 Three days prior to the 2003 Ironman Triathlon in Penticton, triathlete Massimo Sperinde came into the ART treatment area with a severe injury. Due to severe knee pain, Massimo was barely able to walk, let alone run. Every medical expert had told him that this injury would make it impossible for him to compete in the Ironman. With the Ironman event just 3 days away, Massimo was desperate to recover and run the race for which he had trained so long and hard. Dr. Abelson was able to locate the exact area of the soft tissue injuries. Some of these injuries and restrictions were in areas that did not manifest pain. After just three ART treatments, Massimo was able to prove everyone wrong…He completed all three events and finished the Ironman! Dr. Abelson, an accomplished ART practitioner and instructor, is shown here as he treats Massimo Sperinde at the 2003 Penticton Ironman. Getting Rid of Chronic Hip Pain "Chronic hip pain has been a way of life for over 40 years. A childhood bone disease left me with limited mobility and stabbing pain that would "sneak attack" in certain positions or movement. " "I have walked cautiously for my entire life, accepting a limited range of motion as being my norm." " Having come to Calgary for a couple of weeks. I was referred to Dr. Abelson for ART, as my pain was particularly bad that week." "In 2 visits I have experienced AMAZING RESULTS!!! I have a full range of motion without pain which I have never experienced with that leg before." " The relief is overwhelming and the delight indescribable - TWO visits!!! Words cannot express my gratitude. Mrs. Patricia Reid - British Columbia What's new in ART Long Nerve Entrapment Procedures

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ART Videos

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Frequently Asked Questions

• What are adhesions?
• Who can benefit from ART?
• What is the treatment like?
• Will the condition return after ART treatments?
• How does ART affect athletic performance?

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What are Adhesions? Our bodies contain special protein structures called Fascia (a type of connective tissue). Fascial tissue interconnects all the components of your body, and acts as a flexible skeleton. When this tissue is healthy, it is smooth and slippery, allowing the muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and organs to move freely and function properly. Adhesions attach to muscles, decreasing their ability to work properly. You know you have an adhesion on a nerve if you get many abnormal sensations like numbness, tingling, or pain. Imagine a piece of scotch tape, the smooth side is healthy fascia, the sticky side is scar tissue or unhealthy fascia. Try rubbing both sides of the tape along your skin. The smooth side slips easily across your skin. The sticky side drags across your skin. The drag that you feel, the "pulling" sensation is how an adhesion affects the smooth functioning of your body.

Are all adhesions bad for me! No ...adhesions are actually a powerful tool that your body uses to prevent further injury. Adhesions are used to help start the healing process for damaged or injured tissues, and serve to restrict the motion of the affected tissues, and allow them to heal slowly. Unfortunately, due to our active lifestyles and lack of rest to an injured area, these adhesions are not always laid down in smooth, even layers, and do not follow the direction of muscle action. Instead, the adhesions are often laid down in different directions, in a random and chaotic manner. This then causes restrictions in the free movement of your tissues. This is where Active Release becomes a powerful tool for restoring the free movement of your tissues!

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Who can benefit from ART? ART can help everyone, from athletes, to office workers, to home keeper. Many professional athletes have come to regard Active Release Techniques very highly for it almost miraculous treatment of serious injuries. Big names like Donovan Bailey, Olympic gold medallist and Gary Roberts, a hockey player, have benefited from ART. For example: Gary Roberts was initially unable to return to hockey after two neck surgeries failed to correct his dizzy spells. He credits Dr. Leahy and ART with correcting the problem, and for allowing to return to Hockey. If you have any type of repetitive strain injury (RSI) ART should be your first choice. Athletes, at all levels, can experience improved performance through ART treatments. See these articles for more information about performance enhancement with ART: Improve your running. Improve Athletic Performance. Improving your Golf Swing. Running and ART - a brochure. Skating and ART.

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What does an ART treatment feel like? ART is not a magic medical bullet or a cure-all. Active Release Techniques is non invasive, very safe, has virtually no side effects, and has a record of producing very good results. Treatments can feel uncomfortable during the movement phases as the scar tissue or adhesions "break up". This discomfort is temporary and subsides almost immediately after the treatment. It is common to feel a duplication of your pain symptoms during the treatment (a good indication that the problem has been identified). Treatments take about 8-15 minutes per area treated and may require 4 to 10 visits. Patients report that "It is a good hurt ".

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Will my condition or problem return after treatment? Once the ART practitioner has released the restrictive adhesions between tissues, post-treatment exercises become a critical part of the healing process and act to ensure the RSI does not return. There are four fundamental areas that must be addressed in any exercise program: Flexibility Good flexibility enables muscles and joints to move through their full range of motion. Poor flexibility leads to a higher chance of injury to muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Stretching exercises are only effective if they are executed after the adhesions within the soft-tissue have been released. Stretching exercises that are applied to adhered tissues will only stretch the tissues above and below the restrictions. The actual restricted and adhered tissues are seldom stretched, leading to further biomechanical imbalances. Strength Strengthening exercises are most effective after the adhesions within the soft-tissue have been released. Attempts to strengthen already-shortened and contracted muscles only results in further contraction and restriction. This causes the formation of yet more adhesions and restrictive tissues, and exacerbates the Repetitive Injury Cycle. This is why the application of generic or non-specific strengthening exercises for RSI seldom works. Balance and Proprioception Proprioception describes the body’s ability to react appropriately (through balance and touch) to external forces. Proprioception exercises should begin early in the rehabilitation process. Effective proprioception exercises are designed to restore the kinesthetic awareness of the patient. These exercises form the basis for the agility, strength, and endurance required for complete rehabilitation. Cardiovascular Cardiovascular or aerobic exercises are essential for restoring good circulation and for increasing oxygen delivery to soft-tissues. Lack of oxygen and poor circulation is a primary accelerant of repetitive strain injuries.

Dr. Abelson with Sprinter Carline Muir in Edmonton Carline Muir of Weston , is currently the top ranked 400m runner in Canada. She has received the MVP 2002 and 2003 awards in track and field at Weston CI, the CR Canadian junior champion in the 400m.competed with national team at 2004 World Junior Championships.   Treating Carlene Muir at the ART Biomechanics conference.

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How Does ART Improve Performance Just click here to find out. Once patients have received ART treatments to resolve obvious soft-tissue injuries, they are often keen to return to activities and sports that were previously denied to them by their injury. At this point, ART can provide patients with a means to enhance their sports performance by identifying and releasing restrictions that reduce their performance in various activities. This typically occurs after the practitioner conducts a biomechanical analysis of the patients motion. During the biomechanical analysis and the subsequent treatment, the practitioner: Evaluates your gait, motion, and posture. Identifies the biomechanical dysfunctions that are restricting performance. Finds the soft-tissue structures that are the primary cause of the biomechanical dysfunction as well as affected structures along the kinetic chain. Treats the soft-tissue dysfunctions with ART to restore full function to the affected structures. ART Performance Care has been used to improve athletic performance for everyone from the amateur athlete to Olympic Gold medallists. Many well-known athletes and celebrities have benefited from ART Performance Care, including: NHL hockey player – Gary Roberts. Figure skaters and Olympic gold medallist– Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. Mr. Universe - Milos Sarcev. Members of several Olympic teams, including the nations of Canada, United States, New Zealand, and Australia. Numerous PGA Golf professionals.

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ART Articles Published by Dr. Abelson Click any of the following links to read articles about ART, published by Dr. Abelson in various magazines. Soft Tissue Management Describes how ART can be key to improving athletic performance. Sciatica or Back Pain Describes how Active Release Techniques can provide rapid resolution for Sciatica and back pain. Improve Your Running With Active Release Techniques Describes how ART can help improve your performance in running. Improve Your Golf Swing With Active Release Techniques Describes how ART can improve your golf swing by removing restrictions that inhibit your body motions. Shoulder pain in the triathlete Describes how ART can be key to shoulder pain treatment. Injuries to the Achilles Tendon Describes how Active Release Techniques can provide rapid resolution for Achilles Tendonitis. Improving Your Core Stability with Active Release Techniques Describes how ART can help improve core stability. Back to the top!

Download Kinetic Health Admittance Forms Please click on the following links to download our clinic admittance forms. Kinetic Health Admittance Form Massage Therapy Admittance Form Phone: 403-241-3772 Fax: 403-241-3846 email: abelsonb@shaw.ca These forms can be read with Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have Acrobat Reader you can download it for free by clicking the following icon.

New Patients We are pleased to offer our new patients a complementary copy of the best selling book, Release Your Pain, during their first visit with Dr. Abelson. Release Your Pain sells for $26.95 at all local booksellers. One copy per family.

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