What is Active Release Techniques (ART) to Individuals, Athletes, and Patients?

ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.

How do overuse conditions occur?

Over-used muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:

• acute conditions (pulls, tears, collisions, etc),
• accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)
• not getting enough oxygen (hypoxia).

Each of these factors can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.

What is the process for becoming ART Certified?

ART certification is a rigorous process.  Each module is 20+ hours of instruction, followed by a hands-on test during which you are asked to perform 10 protocols on an instructor.   The instructor randomly picks the protocols from any of the 80-110 learned during the training.  You are graded on anatomy, direction of motion, and touch.  An 80% is required to pass certification.

To be full-body certified a practitioner must take (and pass) the Spine, Upper Extremity, and Lower Extremity modules, for a total of 60+ hours of training.  Each year you must recertify with a hands-on class.  ART is strict about certification and about making sure that everyone keeps up with their technique and their touch.

Dr. Emily Blair, D.C. is one of only a handful of certified ART (Active Release Technique) Providers in New Mexico, and one of only two ART providers in the city of Albuquerque.  Dr. Blair is Full Body Certified, as well as Long Nerve Entrapment Certified.