ART - Healthcare Professionals

What types of injuries should be referred to an Active Release Techniques practitioner?

1. Anyone suspected to have a soft tissue injury that is not responding to care.
2. Anyone that has responded well to care but has plateaued before complete resolution. Often a patient will have several problems and specific soft tissue work may be needed to complete the job.
3. Symptoms of pain, tightness, numbness, tingling, aching, burning, pulling, and decreased range of motion.
4. When all conventional tests (MRI, CT, EMG, blood work) are negative, yet the symptoms persist. There are no technological tests for soft tissue problems. Usually, they must be determined by altered tissue texture, tension, and movement.

When referring a patient to Compass Chiropractic, you can expect:

1. An initial report and periodic update reports. We will keep you informed about your patient's condition and progress.
2. We will be available for phone consultation.
3. Referral back to your office once we are done. This way you maintain case control.

Family Practitioner/General Practitioner
The option of combining ART with hands-on or instrument-assisted chiropractic adjustments makes Compass Chiropractic the ideal provider for a conservative care trial for a number of conditions including back pain, neck pain, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder injury and instability, whiplash, sports injuries, sciatica, plantar fascitis, and chronic pain syndromes.

Massage Therapist
Consider ART for your stubborn cases that aren't responding to deep tissue massage. ART combines specific patient-assisted stretching with provider-applied pressure on the problem tissues. This combination generates enough tension to break up the tough adhesions and scar tissue that have limited full resolution of your clients' conditions.

Learn the similarities and differences between ART and Massage

Neurologist
Peripheral nerve entrapments such as carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, and ulnar neuropathy are among the most dramatic and successful problems we treat. Symptoms present as burning, aching, numbness, tingling, or weakness in specific distributions, while diagnosis with EMG, MRI, or NCV is often inconclusive. We find that palpation of potentially involved sites where nerves and muscles are under increased stress often reveals scar tissue and decreased nerve glide. Proper treatment using ART's nerve entrapment site protocols resolves the scar tissue, eliminating the entrapment and symptoms.

Orthopedist
Any body part that has had enough load placed on it to cause damage and require surgery will also have soft tissue involvement. This is commonly true in acute cases and always in chronic or degenerative conditions. If soft tissue mechanics are faulty, post surgical recovery can be very slow and sometimes incomplete. This is especially common with shoulder tears. Depending upon the size and location of the tear, ART treatments can be performed pre or post-surgery. Addressing the soft tissue problems prior to surgery will correct load and mechanics, allowing for a faster and more complete recovery period. However, if the damage is causing excessive inflammation or persistent hypertonicity soft tissue treatment may be best applied a few weeks post surgery. This decision is best made on a case by case basis.

Chiropractor
The adjustment takes care of many musculoskeletal complaints. However, often a cycle of joint dysfunction affecting nerves affecting muscles affecting joints is present. In the presence of this cycle, great adjustments of the joints of the spine will not “hold” long since dysfunctional muscles and scar tissue will soon result in irritated joints once again. ART combined with adjustments can break the cycle. If you suspect your patient has a soft tissue problem, send them for ART at Compass Chiropractic. We will keep you updated and limit our treatment to your prescription for ART. We will return them to your care once the problem they were referred for is resolved.

Podiatrist
We see many "plantar fasciitis" cases. The patient and the podiatrist become frustrated when the problem hasn't fully resolved with orthotics, night splints, stretching, rest, or injections. Most people do well with these, but some cases leave the doctor and patient wondering what else can be done. We often find tibial nerve entrapments at the arch of the soleus and tarsal tunnel, as well as scar tissue in the plantar foot and calf structures impede further progress. Once corrected, the other measures will be sufficient to make continued progress. If you and your patient are frustrated, let us know and we'll take a look at it. If the patient has a soft tissue problem that we can help with, we will treat them while keeping you updated to their progress. Once the scar tissue is resolved, we will send them back to you for further evaluation and any necessary treatment.

Dentist
We see many cases of TMJ syndrome resolve through ART. Dysfunction in the jaw muscles and the muscles of the upper neck can alter movement of the jaw resulting in painful clicking and popping. If joint dysfunction is a factor, that can be addressed with low force, instrument-assisted adjustments of the jaw and hands-on or instrument-adjustments of the upper neck.

Physical Therapist
When strength exercises are not making the patient stronger, stretching isn't making the patient more flexible, or the patient is better objectively but the symptoms are not, they most likely have an underlying soft tissue problem. Refer them for ART. After a thorough examination, we will consult with you regarding our recommendations for their care.