Hands-on soft-tissue therapy for muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves.
Dr. Daniel Turner, DC · Updated June 2026
Active Release Technique (ART) is a hands-on soft-tissue therapy that treats muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves through targeted manual pressure and movement. At DT Chiropractic, we use ART as part of conservative, evidence-based care to help address tension, restricted motion, and overuse-related discomfort. Our practice serves North Georgia from offices in Canton, Cartersville, and Rome.
Active Release Technique® (ART) is a hands-on soft-tissue method that treats problems in muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. Overuse, injury, and repetitive strain cause the body to lay down dense scar tissue and adhesions that restrict movement, weaken tissue, and can trap nerves. ART breaks up those adhesions and restores smooth, pain-free motion.
During an ART treatment, the doctor applies precise tension to the affected tissue while you move the area through a specific range of motion. That combination of pressure and movement is what releases the adhesion and restores normal glide between tissues. It is especially effective for sports and overuse injuries, and for the stubborn, nagging pain that has not responded to rest or generic massage. Several of our doctors are ART-trained and use it alongside adjustments and rehab to speed recovery.
We first locate the restricted tissue by feel and by testing your movement. The treatment is active, you will move the area while we work, and you may feel a stretching or releasing sensation. Sessions are focused and efficient, and many patients notice improved motion within a visit or two.
This treatment is often part of our care for:
Available at all three North Georgia offices, Canton, Cartersville, and Rome, with same- or next-day appointments.
ART treats soft-tissue problems, tight or scarred muscles, tendons, and ligaments, and nerves trapped by surrounding tissue. It is a go-to for athletes and for anyone with nagging, movement-related pain like tendonitis, muscle strains, and overuse injuries.
You may feel pressure and a stretching or "releasing" sensation as the doctor works through the tissue while you move. Most patients find it very tolerable and feel looser and better quickly.
Massage relaxes muscles broadly; ART is a targeted, diagnostic treatment that finds a specific adhesion and releases it by combining precise pressure with active movement. The two complement each other well.
Many soft-tissue issues respond within a handful of focused sessions, though it depends on how long the problem has been there. We will reassess your motion and pain as we go and adjust the plan.
Active Release Technique is precise by design. Instead of working broadly over a muscle, the provider takes a specific contact on the restricted tissue, then has you actively move the muscle through its full range under that contact. The combination of tension plus motion is the point: it targets the adhesions and fibrous restrictions that develop where muscles, tendons, and nerves slide past each other, the exact places overuse injuries live. Sessions are focused and can be intense in a good-hurt way, and providers certify through specific ART training to deliver it.
The research base for soft-tissue treatment in general is well established: clinical guidelines include massage and soft-tissue approaches among recommended non-drug options for back pain, and reviews of hands-on care consistently show short-term improvements in pain and function. ART-specific trials are a younger literature: small studies show improvements in flexibility, pain, and function for conditions like hamstring tightness and overuse injuries, and larger trials are still needed. We tell you that plainly because our credibility matters more than a sales pitch. Clinically, we reach for ART where it shines: stubborn overuse problems, post-injury scar tissue, and athletes whose tissues take repetitive load.
We identify the restricted tissue by feel and movement testing, then work through a handful of specific contacts and movements per area. Most patients notice freer movement within the first couple of sessions, and ART pairs naturally with adjustments and progressive loading so the freed-up tissue gets stronger, not just looser.
This page is for general education and is not a substitute for an individual evaluation. External links are provided for reference and do not imply endorsement.
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