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Understanding Muscle Injuries:

There are three ways in which injuries of the soft tissues in the body can arise:

• 1 - Acute Conditions: pulls, tears, crush injuries.
• 2 - Repetitive Stress: accumulations of small tears over time (micro-trauma).
• 3 - Posture: Your body's response to bad posture and stresses that occur over time directly related to the way one holds their body, and the body's response to it.

Each of these can cause the body to produce scar tissue. Scar tissue is a tough, dense network of collagen fibers that develops to repair/protect the area that has been injured.  Excess scar tissue can prevent the muscles and other structures from working properly, which can lead to changes in normal movement, muscle shortening and weakness, misalignment of bones, and even disruption of the movement/structures in the surrounding areas. A compromised muscle, or muscles, not only places more tension on the tendons that attach muscle to bone, which can cause tendonitis/tendonosis, but can irritate nerves that pass though or supply the muscle.  This injury process can cause the following symptoms:

• Loss of range of motion;
• Loss of strength;
• Aching, pain, tingling, numbness;
• Swelling;
• Spreading of symptoms if untreated;
• Further injury.

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» Chiropractor's new technique get players back in action

By TARA Sullivan
STAFF WRITER

NEW YORK – As the most prolific running back in Giants' history, Tiki Barber usually is ahead of the pack. And today in Hawaii, when his decade-long career in the NFL sets off on its final sprint, this time into retirement, the durability of the 5-foot-10, 205 pound Barber is one of the most enduringly impressive feats of this three-time Pro Bowl run through the league.

For that, Barber also deserves credit for staying ahead of the pack. For the past five years, Barber has been treated by Bergen County physician Robert DeStefano, a chiropractor who specializes in Active Release Technique, a revolutionary treatment that revives injured muscles.

Rather than merely trying to strengthen the areas of an injury, ART works on the specific point of the muscle lesion, witch Barber insists repeatedly has allowed him to get back on the field quicker than he would have otherwise.

"There's a new wave of medicine that's more active than passive," Barber said this week while sitting poolside at his Hawaii hotel. "Ice and stem [treatment] don't accelerate healing. This does. With the high stakes and pressure of our game, you have to be back on the game next week. You have to be back on the field yesterday. ART gets your muscles working again."

Barber is not alone in his devotion to DeStefano, to whom he was introduced by teammate Amani Toomer following a hamstring injury Barber sustained in a 2002 preseason game against the Jets. When Barber was able to reduce the usual three-to-five week recovery period that comes with traditional therapies and get back in uniform for the regular-season opener two weeks later, he was officially converted.

The testimony of Barber and Toomer led Giants head trainer Ronnie Barnes to develop a relationship with DeStefano, one strong enough now that the Ridgefield Park native and Wayne resident travels to all home and away games as well as making regular weekly appointments at Giants Stadium. Nearly all the Giants' players have availed of his services at some point...

Active Release Technique

What is it?
ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement-based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves.

Who uses it?
Professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, PGA, and LPGA tours, Olympic athletes, weekend warriors of all ages and patients recovering from surgery.

How it works
Every ART session is a combination of examinations and treatment. The ART provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements.

Source : activerelease.com