Precise, movement-based soft tissue therapy that breaks up adhesions, frees trapped nerves, and restores normal tissue glide - delivered one-on-one in your home.
Active Release Technique (ART) is a patented, highly specific soft tissue treatment system developed by Dr. P. Michael Leahy that combines precise manual contact with active patient movement. During an ART session, your therapist locates the exact area of dysfunction - whether it is a dense scar tissue adhesion, a nerve being entrapped by tight muscle, or a tendon that has lost its normal sliding ability - and applies a specific tension with their hands while guiding you to actively move the affected limb from a shortened to a lengthened position. This movement-under-tension technique slides the tissue through its full range against the therapist's contact, breaking the adhesion and restoring the tissue's ability to move freely.
ART is built on an extensive treatment library of more than 500 unique protocols, each targeting a precise anatomical structure. Your therapist has been trained to palpate the subtle texture differences between healthy tissue and scarred, adhered tissue, and to select the precise protocol that your anatomy requires. Delivered in your home at Focus Rehabilitation, ART can be applied in the postures and positions that most closely replicate the demands of your everyday life, shortening the gap between clinical improvement and real-world function.
ART sessions are efficient and highly targeted. Most patients notice a tangible change in tissue mobility within the first one or two sessions. Your therapist combines ART with corrective exercise to address the movement habits that allowed adhesions to form in the first place.
Your therapist palpates the affected area to identify the exact location, depth, and orientation of adhesions, entrapments, or scar tissue before selecting a protocol.
Precise, directed pressure is applied to the problem tissue, taking up the slack to create a specific tension through the adhesion.
You slowly move the body part from a shortened toward a lengthened position while the therapist maintains tension, sliding the tissue free of the adhesion.
Corrective loading exercises reinforce the released tissue and retrain the movement patterns that protect against adhesion re-formation.
Carpal tunnel syndrome and hand numbness caused by median nerve compression.
Shoulder impingement and rotator cuff tightness limiting arm reach and overhead motion.
Sciatic nerve irritation with pain, numbness, or weakness into the leg and foot.
Plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendon adhesions causing heel and foot pain with walking.
Post-surgical scar tissue causing pulling, restricted motion, or nerve sensitivity.
Elbow and forearm tightness from repetitive gripping, lifting, or computer use.
ART can be applied in the exact postures - reaching, gripping, bending - that aggravate your tissue problem, making the treatment highly functional.
Immediately after an ART session, staying at home means you benefit from pain relief in a relaxed environment rather than a stressful commute.
Your therapist's full attention is on palpating and releasing your tissue - the precision ART requires is impossible to achieve any other way.
Active Release Technique addresses one of the most common but overlooked causes of persistent pain: soft tissue adhesions that develop after overuse, injury, or surgery. These dense, fibrous bands alter normal tissue mechanics, entrap nerves, and prevent muscles from contracting and lengthening efficiently. ART's movement-under-tension approach breaks these adhesions far more effectively than rest or stretching alone, and the results are often experienced within the session itself.
Our in-home ART services are covered by Medicare Part B with no homebound requirement, and we serve Monroe Township, Freehold, East Windsor, North Brunswick, Manalapan, and Princeton. We verify your benefits before your first visit so there are no unexpected costs.
Active Release Technique (ART) is a patented, movement-based soft tissue method in which your therapist applies precise tension to an affected muscle, tendon, nerve, or ligament while you actively move the body part through a specific range of motion. This combination breaks up adhesions and scar tissue and restores normal tissue glide. At Focus Rehabilitation, ART is delivered one-on-one in your home.
ART is particularly effective for overuse injuries and soft tissue problems including carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder impingement, tennis or golfer's elbow, plantar fasciitis, sciatic nerve entrapment, and scar tissue adhesions from past surgeries or injuries.
Yes. When performed by a licensed physical therapist as part of a skilled plan of care, ART at home is covered under Medicare Part B with no homebound requirement. We verify your benefits before your first visit.
Some patients feel mild discomfort as the therapist contacts the adhesion and guides movement through it - similar to the feeling of a deep stretch in a tight area. The sensation typically diminishes within a session or two as the tissue releases and mobility improves.
Schedule your free consultation today. We'll verify your insurance and answer every question before care begins.