Active Release Technique in San Jose

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What Is Active Release Technique?

Active Release Technique (ART) is a patented, evidence-based soft tissue treatment system that combines precise manual tension with active patient movement. It was developed by Dr. P. Michael Leahy, DC, a chiropractor who observed that many elite athletes were suffering from soft tissue injuries that standard approaches failed to resolve. ART targets muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves — addressing the adhesions, scar tissue, and restricted gliding surfaces that cause pain and limit movement.

ART-certified providers complete rigorous training and testing across the full body, including spine, upper extremity, and lower extremity protocols. Certification must be earned and maintained through ongoing continuing education — it is not a weekend course. This is why only a small fraction of chiropractors hold ART certification. Dr. Nguyen is a certified ART provider, meaning every ART treatment at VAL Chiropractic is delivered with the precision and protocol fidelity the system requires.

How ART Works

During an ART session, Dr. Nguyen applies a specific, controlled tension to the affected tissue using his hands. While holding that tension, he guides you through an active movement — meaning you move the body part through a defined range of motion while he maintains contact with the tissue. This combination of manual tension and active movement elongates the tissue under load, breaking down the adhesions and scar tissue that have formed between tissue layers.

Adhesions form as a natural response to injury, overuse, or repetitive strain. While they are part of the healing process, they often outlast their usefulness — causing tissues that should glide freely over each other to stick together. The result is reduced range of motion, altered movement mechanics, nerve entrapment, and persistent pain. ART disrupts this pattern by mechanically restoring normal tissue gliding at the specific location of restriction, not just in the general area.

Each ART protocol is highly specific. There are over 500 unique ART treatment protocols — one for each structure in the body — allowing Dr. Nguyen to address the precise tissue involved in your condition. This level of specificity is what distinguishes ART from general soft tissue work or massage.

Conditions Treated with Active Release Technique

ART was designed specifically for overuse and repetitive strain injuries — the type of injuries that often do not respond to rest, ice, or standard physical therapy alone. Conditions commonly treated with ART include:

• Rotator cuff injuries and shoulder impingement syndrome
• Carpal tunnel syndrome and peripheral nerve entrapment
• IT band syndrome (iliotibial band friction syndrome)
• Plantar fasciitis and heel pain
• Achilles tendinopathy
• Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) and medial epicondylitis (golfer's elbow)
• Hamstring strains and chronic tightness
• Hip flexor tightness and groin pain
• Cervicogenic headaches from suboccipital muscle adhesions
• Post-surgical scar tissue causing restricted movement or nerve symptoms
• Thoracic outlet syndrome
• Patellar tendinopathy and knee pain from soft tissue restriction

Who Benefits Most from ART?

Desk workers and tech professionals who perform the same motions day after day — typing, mousing, holding a phone — develop overuse injuries gradually. By the time pain appears, significant adhesions are already present. ART addresses these restrictions before they progress to structural damage.

Athletes and active individuals who push their bodies hard and need to recover fast benefit from ART's targeted approach. It delivers measurable results — improved range of motion, reduced pain, and faster return to performance — in fewer sessions than passive treatments.

Post-surgical patients often develop scar tissue at and around the surgical site. This scar tissue can limit mobility, irritate nearby nerves, and alter movement mechanics for years. ART is one of the most effective methods for systematically reducing post-surgical scar tissue while improving functional outcomes.

Anyone with chronic soft tissue restriction that has not responded to conventional treatment — whether it is a tight hip flexor that never fully releases or a shoulder that lost range of motion after an old injury — often finds ART effective because it targets the tissue-level mechanism that other approaches miss.

ART at VAL Chiropractic

At VAL Chiropractic, ART is integrated into a complete treatment plan that addresses joint mechanics, soft tissue health, and movement quality together. When Dr. Nguyen identifies soft tissue restrictions contributing to your condition, he uses ART to address them with precision while combining chiropractic adjustments to restore proper joint mobility and corrective exercise to address the movement patterns that allowed the problem to develop in the first place.

This integrated approach is essential because most musculoskeletal pain involves more than one tissue type. A shoulder impingement, for example, may involve restricted glenohumeral joint mechanics, adhesions in the rotator cuff muscles, and altered scapular movement patterns. Treating only one component rarely resolves the problem fully. Dr. Nguyen's training across ART, chiropractic adjustments, and corrective rehabilitation allows him to address all components simultaneously.

Your first visit includes a thorough history and movement assessment so Dr. Nguyen can identify exactly which tissues are involved and design a targeted treatment plan. Most ART sessions are 15–30 minutes for the soft tissue component and can be combined with an adjustment in the same appointment.