Active Release Techniques Chiropractor since 1997.. Active Release Techniques (ART) is a hands-on soft tissue treatment of ligaments, muscles, tendons, and nerves. It is the market leading soft tissue therapy in the world, used extensively in the treatment of professional athletes. To treat a muscle with ART, the muscle is shortened and a manual tension is applied to the muscle by a therapist's fingers. The muscle is then actively lengthened by the person being treated, while the tension on the muscle is held in place. The treatment hurts a bit, although most patients describe it as a "good hurt". It feels like a stretch that you need, but can't do yourself. When a muscle is tight the technique works by increasing the nervous system's tolerance to stretch the muscle. ART is used on-site by hundreds of corporations to treat repetitive strain injuries, and in thousands of clinics around the world because it can provide a quick result in treating conditions such as: tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, shoulder rotator cuff injuries and plantar fasciitis. Why is ART used by elite athletes? Performing at the highest level is difficult with muscle imbalances and/or joint restrictions. ART eliminates these, which allows the athlete to train hard without suffering an injury. Treating elite level athletes is about making small gains in muscle and joint function, even just a 1% improvement can make a large difference. When small gains are aggregated performance is noticeably enhanced. Mobility, stability and strength are the three keys to performance, but without mobility it's impossible to build stability and strength. ART is a rapid way to fix flexibility issues, establishing the base from which balance and strength can be built, and even the casual gym goer can benefit from the same techniques as the professionals.