Active Release Techniques

Michael Leahy, who developed Active Release Techniques, served as an F-4 fighter pilot in the US Air Force and then worked as a civilian pilot before graduating from Los Angeles College of Chiropractic in 1984. He subsequently organized his approach to treating muscles and tendons by hand, held his first seminar in 1988, and received a US patent for this soft-tissue management system in 2001.

“Active Release Techniques” is a registered trademark, so only practitioners who have completed official training may use the name. Training is divided into courses covering areas such as the upper extremities, lower extremities, spine, and nerve entrapment. In Korea, it is known as “ART” or “Active Release” and is widely used in sports rehabilitation and Manual therapy.

Its clearest distinction from other manual techniques is that the person receiving treatment actively moves. While the practitioner holds a specific tissue in place by hand, the person bends or straightens a joint, allowing muscles and tendons to glide beneath the practitioner's hand.

This technique takes the view that repetitive movements or excessive exertion cause small injuries to accumulate in muscles, tendons, and tissues around nerves. It explains that if Adhesions, in which tissues stick together, form during healing, the tissues can no longer glide smoothly against one another. In this view, muscles then become shorter and weaker, and nerves passing between them may become compressed.

When movement becomes restricted, friction and strain increase again, and further small injuries accumulate. Leahy called this vicious cycle the “cumulative injury cycle.”

Active Release Techniques therefore focuses on restoring smooth gliding between tissues through a combination of hand contact and movement. The practitioner's hand acts as a fixed point, while the person's movement lengthens the tissue and draws it beneath the hand. The practitioner assesses areas of tightness by feeling the tissue's texture, elasticity, and movement with their fingertips.

The basic sequence has three steps. Using the muscles on the inner side of the forearm as an example:

1. Shorten: Position the muscle being treated so that it is shortened—for example, by bending the wrist toward the palm. 2. Apply pressure: The practitioner applies steady pressure to the tight area with a thumb or fingers, adding tension with a slight pulling action along the muscle fibers. 3. Lengthen: While that pressure is maintained, the person slowly straightens the wrist. As the muscle lengthens, it glides beneath the practitioner's hand.

Each movement takes only a few seconds and is repeated several times, with small adjustments to hand placement and angle. During treatment, it can feel as though the muscle is being firmly swept along its fibers beneath the hand. Passing over a tight area may cause a fairly strong ache or a sharp, tingling sensation.

Because the hand needs to maintain its grip, little or no oil is used, and the practitioner often works directly on the skin. Clothing that exposes the area being treated, such as shorts or a sleeveless top, is convenient.

• People who feel pulling in the sole of the foot or the outside of the knee when running (Plantar fasciitis, Iliotibial band syndrome)
• People with elbow pain from playing tennis or golf, or from frequent wrist use (Lateral epicondylitis, Medial epicondylitis)
• People with numbness or tingling in the wrists and fingers after prolonged keyboard and mouse use (Carpal tunnel syndrome)
• People whose persistently tight Hamstrings or shoulders limit their movement during exercise
• People who participate in sports involving countless repetitions of the same movements, such as running or triathlons

• Be prepared to demonstrate the movement that hurts. Identifying in advance which movements cause discomfort and where you feel it helps the practitioner locate the tissue to treat much more precisely.
• Speak up right away if the sensation is too intense. The practitioner can adjust by slowing the movement or reducing the pressure.
• You may feel sore the next day. In most cases, this settles naturally within a day or two. See Post-massage soreness for ways to manage it.
• Continue the exercises you were shown at home. Regularly doing the stretches or strengthening exercises learned after treatment can help maintain the improvement in movement for longer.
• It is fine to ask whether the practitioner has completed official training. Certification for this technique is specific to each area, so you can also ask whether they have completed the course for the area being treated.

In Myofascial release, the person lies comfortably while the practitioner applies sustained pressure to an area of fascia and waits for it to release. Active movement by the person receiving treatment is central to Active Release Techniques, so each movement is brief and the pace is faster.

The Mulligan Concept also involves the practitioner maintaining hand contact while the person moves, but it is a joint-focused technique that supports the joint and assists its glide. Post-isometric relaxation, which involves gently contracting a muscle, relaxing it, and then stretching it, differs in that it does not involve tissue passing beneath the practitioner's hand.