What is an ART Specialist Chiropractor?

Some of you may wonder what differentiates a chiropractor who specializes in Active Release Techniques from other types of chiropractors. You may be surprised to hear that at the very core, our philosophies are very similar. Regardless of whether a chiropractor is an ART specialist or not, all chiropractors are physicians who help the nervous system.

The nervous system is comprised of the brain, spinal cord, spinal nerve roots, and peripheral nerves. The human nervous system is the most miraculous and complex structure that we know of. It is a powerful antenna that allows you to transmit and receive energy and information with the world; it allows you to create, interact with the environment, and experience life. Its sensory branches allow you to see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. Its motor branches power your heart and lungs, allow you to speak, walk, use tools, play sports, and create technologies. Every single cell of your body is affected by the nervous system, including all your internal organs, your muscles, and your joints.

Studies have shown that the weight of a single dime on a nerve can compromise its function by 40 to 60 percent. Sometimes, this diminished functional ability presents itself as pain. But surprisingly, pain is usually the last symptom of nervous symptom compromise. Most often it can present as a myriad of symptoms, from numbness, tingling, and electrical sensations, to weakness, fatigue, and even high blood pressure. The commonality that these different symptoms share is that with any of them, your body is not functioning at its peak optimal performance.

Chiropractors remove nerve interference to allow your nervous system to function optimally. They do this with chiropractic adjustments which help align your spine and create motion between the various joints of your bodies. This removes pressure on nerves that are pinched between vertebrae and other joints in your body.

So what makes a chiropractor who specializes in Active Release Techniques different? ART is a patented system of techniques that break up the scar tissue that forms slowly over time or after a traumatic injury occurs. Scar tissue is like sticky spider's web that prevents nerves from gliding freely throughout the body, prevents muscles from stretching and contracting normally, and stops muscles from sliding over each other smoothly the way they optimally should. Scar tissue is formed when the body heals soft tissue structures that are damaged from trauma, repetitive stress, or even poor posture. Sometimes this scar tissue formation results in pain. Most often it doesn't.

An ART specialist chiropractor who is full body certified with a further certification in nerve entrapment releases has undergone intensive training in freeing these trapped soft tissue structures, and has learned over 500 protocols to remove these scar tissue adhesions from your body. ART doctors are rigorously tested in these protocols, their touch and sensitivity, and their knowledge of anatomy and biomechanics. Each of these 500 protocols is extremely specific. Procedures such as "myofascial release technique," "stripping," or using a metal, jade, or plastic tool to rub vigorously on your skin may free superficial scar tissue adhesions, but do little for deep scar tissue adhesions between deep-seated muscles or adhesions gluing peripheral nerves to their surrounding structures.

Some common nerve entrapments you may be familiar with are carpal tunnel syndrome and sciatica. Carpal tunnel syndrome is an entrapment of the "median nerve" and sciatica is an entrapment of the "sciatic nerve." A chiropractic adjustment may oftentimes release these entrapments if they are pinched between spinal vertebrae that are misaligned. However, more commonly they are trapped inside other soft tissue structures including muscles, muscle groups, and the fascia surrounding them. To free these nerve entrapments, ART chiropractors "floss" these nerves back and forth at their various entrapment points, breaking the scar tissue formations that trap them.

Some chiropractors claim to do Active Release Techniques but have simply watched an ART DVD or learned a few muscle-related ART moves from their colleagues. To see if your chiropractor is really certified to remove peripheral nerve entrapments visit www.activerelease.com and see if he or she is certified in "nerve entrapments." If they have this certification, you can be sure that your chiropractor has undergone extensive training in ART and knows the 500+ protocols involved in removing scar tissue adhesions that compromise nervous system function.

Regardless of whether or not you see an ART specialist, make an appointment with a good chiropractor. You may be astounded at the improvement in your quality of life a chiropractor can help you achieve.