Active Release Techniques® are effective soft tissue techniques that can help alleviate pain and improve your mobility. Emkiro’s Doctors of Chiropractic use ART® to treat restrictions in the soft tissues of your body.
Our experts use their hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. They use their training and expertise to identify the problematic areas that may limit your movement.
Once they find the restrictive tissue, the chiropractor applies a very specific tension in combination with particular movements to soften and stretch it. This strengthens the tissue and promotes circulation, easing pain and improving your range of motion.
Conditions Treated with Active Release Techniques
ART® was specially designed to break up the adhesions between your soft tissues, so it can help you recover from most soft tissue injuries. ART® breaks up the existing adhesions in your soft tissues, enabling your muscles and joints to move smoothly and without pain.
ART® is usually the right choice for most problems caused by overused muscles or muscle imbalances.
Active Release Techniques® can be effective treatments for multiple conditions, including:
- Neck pain
- Lower back pain
- Shoulder pain
- Tension headaches
- Shoulder impingement
- Sciatica
- Shin splints
- Plantar fasciitis
- Hip tightness
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Tennis or golfer's elbow
- Peripheral nerve entrapments
Manual Therapy Fees
We offer direct billing so you pay less. If you’ve got a benefit plan, your insurance provider will cover most of your physical therapy expenses.
How Active Release Techniques® Work
Your body may repair your overused or injured muscles with scar tissue. After repeated injuries or long-term overuse, the scar tissue can build up between your muscles, which can result in pain and may limit the mobility of the surrounding area. Sometimes, scar tissue collections can entrap nerves, which can lead to acute, sharp pain.
But even though these scenarios are painful, they can also be completely reversible. Our chiropractors can manipulate the soft tissues and use Active Release Techniques® to stretch them and release the tension they accumulated.
ART® breaks up the scar tissue in your muscle, joints, connective tissue, and nerves, relieving your pain and helping you regain your mobility. ART® can restore your range of motion and enable you to move freely, without pain or stiffness.
Our team of healthcare professionals is dedicated to providing you with the best medical solutions for your injury or condition. Our specialists collaborate to find pain treatments that are second to none. We strive to make our services accessible to everyone, which is why we bill insurance.
Book an Active Release Techniques® consultation and start your journey toward a pain-free life.
Emkiro’s ART® Specialists
Dr. Michelle Kang, DC, R.Ac
Specializes in treating acute and chronic spinal/muscular conditions, common neuromusculoskeletal diseases, headaches/migraines, shoulder/elbow/knee injuries, postural correction, women’s health, sports injuries, and more.
- Doctor of Chiropractic
- Certified in ART and Guasha treatment techniques
- Registered Acupuncturist
- Certified in the Webster Technique
NOTE FOR NEW CLIENTS – CALL 416-977-7474 for additional timeslots as we may be able to book you in sooner
Dr. Kristyn Capizzano, DC
Dr. Capizzano graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic West in San Jose, California, where she excelled in providing a variety of hands-on Chiropractic techniques and soft tissue therapies. Dr. Capizzano continues to be passionate about leading a healthy and active lifestyle and is committed to providing evidence-based chiropractic care in her practice.
Dr. Capizzano captained Team Canada U18 Women’s hockey team and was a first-round pick in the 2017 Canadian Women’s Hockey League Draft.
Dr. Capizzano is a registered member of the College of Chiropractors of Ontario (https://cco.on.ca)
Dr. Alison Lee, DC
Dr. Alison Lee graduated with distinction at the Welsh Institute of Chiropractic in the United Kingdom. Dr. Lee is a family chiropractor passionate in assisting patients on their own journey of discovering and understanding their own body’s posture, patterns, and pain. She believes in a personalized approach to patient care implementing a wide variety of techniques and treatment practices consisting of hands-on chiropractic adjustments, manual therapy, soft tissue release, pre- and post-natal care, patient education and exercise rehabilitation.
Dr. Lee is qualified in providing kinesio and sports taping, custom orthotics, compression stocking devices, bracing devices and tailored home exercise plans. Dr. Lee’s practice encompasses a wide range of conditions including acute and chronic conditions of the spine and extremities, headaches, nerve pain, postural concerns, pregnancy and sports injuries.
“After being introduced to chiropractic, it has had a significant influence on my quality of life. From a young age I suffered from headaches which were untreated until receiving chiropractic adjustments. As such, my inspiration to become a chiropractor comes from the instant relief and improvement I felt after a chiropractic treatment regimen and my desire to provide the same feeling to others. To this day, I still attend regular chiropractic treatments for general maintenance and wellbeing.”
Outside of chiropractic, Dr. Lee loves to stay active in the gym, running, playing volleyball, wakeboarding or teaching yoga. You can also find her travelling or exploring the city’s restaurants and cafes, and enjoying live music. Dr. Lee is an active member of the Ontario Chiropractic Association, Canadian Chiropractic Association, College of Chiropractors of Ontario, Royal College of Chiropractors United Kingdom, and the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic. Through hands-on chiropractic care, Dr. Alison Lee is committed to helping all individuals live their best, play their best, and perform their best.
Dr. Sarah Kamiel, DC
Dr. Sarah graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, with honours from Dalhousie University, and then went on to complete her Doctor of Chiropractic at New York Chiropractic College. While in school, she was president of the Student Canadian Chiropractic Association as well as Vice President of the Rehab to Performance Club, which allowed her to hone in on her special interest in human biomechanics and sport performance. Dr. Sarah also acquired her certification in Neurofunctional Acupuncture, from McMaster University.
Dr. Sarah grew up competing in figure skating and dance, which inspired her initial love of sport and movement. Now she spends her time enjoying powerlifting, running, and bouldering.
As a practitioner, Dr. Sarah strives to bring her patients to their goals, whatever they may be; lifestyle or sport-specific. Dr. Sarah believes that movement truly is medicine and wants to empower her patients by giving them the tools they need to become resilient and empowered in what they do.
Dr. Sarah works with her patients to determine what form of treatment works best with their goals and lifestyle. Treatment can include patient education, hands-on manual therapy, cupping, neurofunctional electro-acupuncture, joint mobilization, spinal adjustment, patient-specific rehabilitation and strength training programs.
Book an in-person or virtual consultation with one of Emkiro’s experts and find out if ART® can help with your condition.
Active Release Techniques® Frequently Asked Questions
What is Active Release Techniques® (ART®)?
Active Release Techniques® is a patented hands-on treatment approach to injuries to a muscle, tendon, ligament, nerve, and the surrounding soft tissue.
Active Release Techniques® is a very specific technique that allows the highly-trained Emkiro Chiropractor to know where to look for adhesions and scar tissue, how to feel for them, and how to use the active motion of the specific body part to break them up.
Common Health Problems Treated With Active Release Techniques®
Active Release Techniques® can help with a multitude of health problems. However, ART® is particularly helpful with neck and back pain, shoulder impingement, golfer’s or tennis elbow, shin splints, carpal tunnel, swimmer’s shoulder, plantar fasciitis, and ITB syndrome.
ART® can speed up your recovery time and produce lasting therapeutic effects.
How Does Active Release Techniques® Work?
Active Release Techniques® are provided by the Doctors of Chiropractic at Emkiro, who evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves.
Any abnormal tissues are then treated by applying a very specific tension to the muscle involved while moving the muscle underneath the contact (thumb or fingers of doctor’s hand). This softens and stretches the scar tissue, improving range of motion, strength and circulation, which all optimize healing.
Do I Need A Referral For Active Release Techniques®?
A referral is not necessary to be assessed or treated with Active Release Techniques® at Emkiro. However, we welcome patients who have been referred by their family doctor, or other health care specialists.
What Can I Expect On My First Active Release Techniques® Appointment?
The initial assessment consists of a thorough health history and examination that helps identify factors that are influencing a patient’s health. At that point, the doctor will review the therapies that may be used in the treatment plan, the alternatives available including appropriate referral to other health care providers if necessary, and any risks relevant to the treatment.
Treatment is also performed on the first visit, unless further diagnostic tests are needed (i.e. x-rays). The typical initial assessment takes anywhere from 40 to 60 minutes, depending on each patient’s condition(s).
Emkiro now offers direct insurance billing.
What Should I Wear To My Initial Assessment For Active Release Techniques®?
We suggest that patients bring comfortable clothing that allows the doctor easy access to the area of concern. This ensures that the patient’s concerns can be assessed properly. We do have change-rooms at the clinic.
Do Insurance Plans Cover ART® Treatments?
Yes. ART® is a Chiropractic technique and falls under Chiropractic insurance coverage. The majority of Canadian workers have partial or full coverage for Chiropractic services in their workplace health care plans. OHIP does not cover these services.
The patient is provided with a detailed itemized receipt listing the services provided, the credentials of the Chiropractic ART® provider, as well as payment details for reimbursement.
