Physiotherapy
Through a variety of hands-on treatments, education and exercise prescription, physical therapists will help you maximize your ability to function. Whether you injured yourself playing squash on the weekend, took a tumble on the ski hill, had a motor vehicle accident or simply developed aches and pains over time, there is a physical therapy treatment available to help you reduce pain, gain strength and flexibility, and promote your independence. At Action Sports Clinic, your physiotherapist will treat you with the appropriate combination of manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and modalities such as ultrasound, interferential current, neuromuscular electrical stimulation and laser.
Back To Top |
Soft Tissue Care at ASC
The Active Release Techniques (ART®) Soft-Tissue Management System is a new and highly successful approach to injuries of muscles, tendons, nerves, ligaments and other soft tissues. ART® is a hands on, soft tissue management system that allows a provider to diagnose, treat, and manage many soft tissue conditions.
Muscles, tendons, fascia, nerves and the surrounding soft tissues injured are addressed with respect to their texture, tension, movement and function.
Several example of these injuries - collectively called cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs) - include: rotator cuff syndrome, tennis elbow/lateral epicondylitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and patellofemoral syndrome. The ART® system is designed to accomplish three unique objectives when treating soft tissue injuries:
- Restore free and unimpeded motion of all soft tissues.
- Release entrapped nerves, vasculature and lymphatics.
- Reestablish optimal texture, resilience and function of all soft tissues.
Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTDs)
The ART® Soft-Tissue Management System provides a way to diagnose and treat the underlying cause of CTDs. The symptoms of CTDs include: tightness, weakness, numbness, tingling, burning, and aching. Trained providers are able to diagnose the presence of inflammation and adhesions by examining the effected tissues during the treatment process.
To understand soft tissue injury it is important to understand the basic mechanism of cumulative injury. CTDs are caused by acute injury, repetitive motion injury, or constant pressure/tension injury(e.g., poor posture). The consequences of these injuries include adhesions, tissue hypoxia (lack of oxygen), and joint dysfunction.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Diagnosis of the correct soft tissue injury is important for a high success rate in treatment of these injuries. First, the exact tissue involved in the injury must be identified. Second, the nature of the injury such as a tear, fibrous adhesion, or myofascitis needs be determined. And lastly, the syndrome it causes must be recognized (i.e., rotator cuff syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome). Throughout the diagnostic process, the practitioner must evaluate the area of the injury for the following characteristics: texture of the tissue, the tension of the injured and surrounding tissues, the movement of the tissues, and the function of the tissues.
After the problem tissue is identified, the ART® treatment procedures are matched to the diagnostic impression. There are specific procedures designed for each type of symptom pattern. For instance, if a fibrous adhesion or scar tissue is identified, it is treated by manual manipulation while drawing it under a specific contact. Once the adhesion is released, the motion of the effected tissues will be restored.
*Medical Journals:
- Mooney, V., Overuse syndromes of the upper extremity: rational and effective treatment, The Journal of Musculoskeletal Medicine, August 1998
- Schiottz-Christensen, B. et al., The role of Active Release Manual Therapy for upper extremity overuse syndromes - a preliminary report, The Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, June 1999
Active Release Techniques® at Action Sports Clinic
ART® is utilized in many cases at ASC. We offer a several pronged approach to care for soft tissue injuries and cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs). It is in the athletic forum that ART was first developed. Gary Roberts, Donovin Bailey and Lance Armstrong are a few prominent names. ART is a breakthrough for the treatment of muskuloskeletal pain. These advances are now being passed on to the rest of us. Carpal tunnel, Rotator Cuff and Iliotibial Band Syndroms to name only a few are conditions that have been difficult to treat in the past, but ART has great success with.
Performance Care (PC) – Utilizing principles of sports medicine, manual therapy, and exercise sciences, PC is geared toward the ambitious athlete. ART® is used to treat those nagging aches and pains that impede the performance of the serious athlete.
Acute Care (AC) – Various modes of therapy may be employed at different phases of healing to ensure maximal injury recovery. Examples include: ultrasound, laser, interferential current, ice, stretching etc. ART® is used to optimize healing while minimizing inappropriate adhesion formation, and help control inflammation and subsequent scar tissue formation.
Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) - ART® is quickly becoming the treatment of choice for conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff syndrome, and thoracic
Back To Top |
