Services & Treatments -  Active Release Technique (ART)

Dr. Danieley is a Full Body Certified ART provider.

Ensuring you get the right touch!

Active Release Technique is non-invasive, very safe, has virtually no side effects, and has a record of producing fantastic results. When a soft tissue problem has been resolved, the symptoms will not return unless the injury happens again. To avoid future injuries, Dr. Danieley will instruct patients in specific exercises, give postural recommendations and explain the mechanism of injury so that it may be avoided in the future.


Strength, speed and endurance are expected to improve within the first few treatments. Dr. Dan will typically have patients test these factors after four to six visits (depending on the severity of the problem). If no improvement is seen, we know that either the problem is more involved or the area affected needs to be strengthened further.

What is Active Release Technique (ART)?

ART is a soft tissue system / technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles. 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.

How do overuse conditions occur?

Over-used soft tissues (like muscles, tendons, etc.) change in three important ways:

• Acute conditions / trauma (pulls, tears, collisions, etc.)
• Accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma - most common in repetitive motions)
• 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.

How does an ART treatment feel? What is it like?

Every ART session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. Dr. Danieley uses his hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements treats the abnormal tissues

These treatment protocols – over 500 of them - are unique to ART. They allow Dr. Danieley to identify and correct the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient. ART is not a cookie-cutter approach.

Treatments can feel uncomfortable during the movement phases as the scar tissue or adhesions "break-up". This discomfort is temporary and subsides almost immediately after the treatment.

It is common to feel a duplication of your pain symptoms during the treatment (a good indication that the problem has been identified). Patients report, "It hurts good".

Treatments take about 8-15 minutes for each area being treated. A condition may require two to twelve visits before full functionality is restored. Manipulation, if requested, is frequently carried out in conjunction with ART to increase treatment effectiveness.
Whenever possible, Dr. Danieley will have patients perform active movements during the treatment process. Active motions stimulate neurological pathways in the spinal cord that help to reduce pain during treatment. Motion also helps to reproduce the stresses the patient will actually be under during normal active motion.