Active Release Techniques® (ART®) is amongst the most widely utilized soft tissue techniques in the world. It is estimated that the 15,000 practitioners that have been certified in ART®, a list that includes medical doctors, chiropractors, physiotherapists, athletic therapists, and massage therapists, have collectively provided approximately 22 million treatments 41. In addition to a wealth of anecdotal information, there are numerous papers, albeit of differing scientific rigor, aimed at substantiating these claims. The principal investigator and co-investigator have authored a systematic review on all the available published research concerning ART® (currently seeking publication). The paucity of quality research in and of itself is the reason the authors have recently completed a systematic review on ART. The lack of quality studies begs the question for future research to determine its efficacy. Common issues in the existing research include: lack of sample size calculation 14,20,28,34,48,50,54,55,59, lack of control group 6,14,20,28,50,53,54,55,59, lack of certified ART® providers 6,21,22,28,34,37,48,50,59,66 lack of identifiable manipulatable lesions14,20,21,28,48,50,59, poor inclusion/exclusion criteria 34,48,50, inappropriate outcome measures14,20,48,59, the use of asymptomatic study participants14,21,23,59, descriptive instead of inferential statistics 55,59, and using ART® for purposes other than which it was intended 20,21,22,48,50,59. This study being proposed will address all of these factors.
Current evidence supports that the palpatory sensation of fascia softening or lengthening is not the result of actual elongation in the fascial sheet itself. This is because the requisite forces to lengthen these dense fasciae far exceed the capacity of what can be generated therapeutically according to Chaudry et al.7. As per Schleip, a more plausible mechanism is that via neurological feedback, muscles in series with the fascia being treated are relaxing, thereby producing the sensation of a myofascial release 56. These potential changes in tissue stiffness and elasticity have never been studied following a course of ART® treatments. Elastography has been used to measure changes in tissue stiffness following massage however, at present ART® has yet to be studied using this modality. The Principal Investigator is currently working on a joint proposal with Central Queensland University in Australia to produce the first study in this field.
Sports chiropractors and athletes alike describe the benefit of Active Release Techniques® however, the current state of the literature is inconclusive, neither supporting nor refuting its effects. No studies to date have explored the relationship between the neuromuscular effects of ART® on the lower extremity in subacute myofascial pain with performance outcomes in 20-50 year-old adults. This study will contribute to the current literature on ART® and myofascial pain and performance in athletes, as well as the effect of ART® in symptomatic populations. This research adds to the body of research on one of the most widely used modalities in sports medicine and manual therapy. This study will further the work by Schleip by measuring lower limb neuromuscular function after ART® treatments. In addition, by using measures relating to motor control and pain, neuromuscular control becomes a construct of performance, where these findings can subsequently be applied to athletes and sports, particularly those involving running, jumping, and kicking. However, the results have implications for vocational endeavours as well and those experiencing lower limb discomfort. Riel et al found that the prevalence and incidence rates were 16.6 and 7.9 per 1000 registered patients respectively in general practice, so lower limb myofascial injuries are prevalent in non-athletic populations as well 61.
This pilot study will be, along with the author's publication of a systematic review of ART®, the cornerstone for proof of concept in obtaining funding for a large-scale clinical trial. The intent is to continue studying the efficacy of ART® across various conditions and athletic populations, while simultaneously beginning research on the mechanism by which ART® and all manual therapies affect their response.
