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Denver Chiropratic Center

1780 South Bellaire Street
Suite 710
Denver, CO 80222
Tel: 303-300-0424
denverchiro@yahoo.com

Visit Dr. Glenn's Training & Nutrition web site:

Dr Glenn's Stronger Leaner Better web site

Active Release®

What is Active Release® ?

Active Release Techniques®, or ART®, is a hands-on soft tissue treatment used to correct problems from various kinds of soft tissue injuries. ART® restores the normal function of your muscles and related structures, allowing full and free ranges of motion. ART® breaks down scar tissue that builds up within muscles and between muscles, and it helps to restore your nervous system's control of the muscles.

This state-of-the-art treatment system works on problems in the back, neck, arms, legs, hands, and feet. Certified Active Release® Providers apply their advanced knowledge of anatomy, muscular mechanics, peripheral neurology, and motor patterns to achieve excellent results, even in cases where all else seems to have failed.

What is a "Fully Certified ART® Provider?"

Dr. Glenn working an Ironman
Dr. Glenn working an Ironman.

A fully certified provider has taken the 3 Basic ART® courses, passed the exams, and then gone on to complete the ART® Biomechanics course. The 3 basic ART® courses are Upper Extremity, Spine, and Lower Extremity. The ART® website www.activerelease.com lists these credentials, along with Biomechanics certifications. Make sure you check to see if your provider is fully certified.

Some fully certified providers are invited by Dr. Leahy to become ART® instructors. In addition, fully certified providers can seek acceptance into the ART® Elite Providers Network. This involves a very high level of competence, as Dr. Leahy himself performs the testing.

Dr. Glenn Hyman is presently the ONLY Active Release® Provider in Denver who is both an instructor and a member of the distinguished Elite Provider Network (EPN) . These credentials are not listed on the Active Release website (They only list up to level 3). Call the ART® headquarters at 888.396.2727 to see if your provider has attained these advanced certifications. Read more about Dr. Glenn Hyman here.

The History of Active Release®

Dr. Glenn working an Ironman
Dr. Glenn working an Ironman.

ART® has been developed, refined, and patented by P. Michael Leahy, a Colorado Springs chiropractor widely regarded as the top soft tissue expert in the country, if not the world.

Dr. Leahy noticed that his patients' symptoms seemed to be related to changes in their soft tissue that could be felt by hand. By observing how muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves responded to different types of work, Dr. Leahy was able to consistently resolve over 90% of his patients' problems. He now teaches and certifies health care providers all over the world to use ART®.

Dr. Hyman has had the unique experience of working with Dr. Leahy in a professional sports environment, watching him and helping him treat some of the mostly highly paid athletes in the country. Dr. Hyman also has been honored to teach Active Release Techniques® for Dr. Leahy at seminars across North America.

How do soft-tissue injuries occur?

Over-used muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:

  • acute injuries (pulls, tears, collisions, etc),
  • accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)
  • 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. This causes reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a peripheral nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.

How does this affect normal function?

Dr. Glenn and fellow doctors at Ironman
Dr. Hyman, on the left next to Dr. Leahy, Dr. Faye Jones, and Dr. Phil Bammer after working an Ironman.

As scar tissue builds up within your muscles and between your muscles, they can lengthen and shorten normally. Take a moment and flex your bicep muscle. It gets shorter. Now relax it. It gets longer. When scar tissue starts to clog your muscles, it prevents this normal action of muscle. The result is weakness, tightness, stiffness, and pain. ART® breaks up this scar tissue so your muscles can move freely again.

Soft tissue injuries have another, more subtle effect. They interfere with your brains ability to control your muscles with the nervous system. Once your muscles start to get tight, your body will think that tightness is normal. It will resist your attempts to stretch the muscle. This is why stretching rarely corrects a problem. ART® helps reset the normal tone of your muscles by correcting the nervous system's feedback to the brain.

Yes, you can help the process along by using the stretches and movement exercises that Dr. Hyman gives you after treatment. If your provider is not Dr. Hyman, make sure your ART® provider helps you with movement training.

Who Can Benefit from ART® ?

ART® can help people from all walks of life. From pro athletes to weekend warriors to stay at home parents to entire work forces. It doesn't matter who you are or what you do, if your injury is related to soft tissues, chances are that ART® will help you.

What is ART® Treatment with Dr. Hyman like?

Dr Glenn at an ART seminar in Vancouver
Dr. Glenn (seated) teaching with Dr. Rob Nielsen at an ART® Seminar in Vancouver.

After a careful history and exam, if ART® is the right choice for you, you'll be treated on your first visit. Dr. Hyman use his hands to evaluate your soft tissue, find the areas that feel tight and "bound up", and then use the Active Release® treatment protocols. This involves the hands-on application of tissue tension, combined with movement of the involved body part.

Dr. Hyman uses a proprietary approach to rehabilitation called Primary Pattern Rehabilitation™. This approach involves a systematic way of evaluating, restoring, and improving your body's fundamental motor patterns. Using only your bodyweight, dramatic improvements in posture, freedom of motion, and sports performance are achieved. This powerful combination of ART® and Primary Pattern Rehabilitation™ lets you recovery quickly, and lets you take control of the situation.

How long will it take?

Each patient is different. On average, between 4-10 visits (each lasting about 20 minutes) are required for correction of soft tissue problems. Factors that affect this range include severity of the problem, your willingness to participate in your treatment, and your overall health status.

Why should you choose Dr. Glenn Hyman as your Active Release® Provider?

At the time of this writing, Dr. Hyman is the only ART® Instructor practicing in Denver. He is also the only member of the Active Release Techniques® Elite Provider Network (EPN) practicing in Denver. There is one provider in Louisville (Dr. Phil Bammer) who hold these same advanced certifications. (Andrew Chavkin in Castle Rock is fully certified and is an instructor.)

Holding these credentials means Dr. Hyman has attained the highest level of training from Dr. Leahy. While many providers complete Dr. Leahy's Spine, Upper Extremity, Lower Extremity, and Biomechanics courses, only a few go on to complete the rigorous study, advanced training, and grueling testing (conducted by Dr. Leahy himself), required for Instructor and EPN certification.

Once again, the Active Release® website does not list this information. You must call the ART® headquarters at: 888-396-2727 to find out if your provider has Instructor and/or EPN standing with Dr. Leahy's organization. Whether you live in the Denver area or not, you should make this phone call to make sure your ART® provider holds advanced certification. Those of us who do are held to a higher standard by ourselves and Dr. Leahy.