Soft Tissue Conditions 
 
Soft tissue conditions can be more specifically described as injuries(acute or chronic)to muscle, tendon or ligament.  When most people think of an injury they think of a traumatic event such as an automobile accident or a fall, but more commonly soft tissue injuries arise from repetitive tasks.  Tasks such as working with a keyboard or a mouse for many hours, or using tools for hours per day.  These minor tissue insults accumulate over time and can be as devastating as a high speed auto accident.  When tissue damage occurs the body reacts by sending inflammatory chemicals to the area. This is the beginning of the healing cycle.  The area begins to heal with fibrous scar tissue.  This tissue is dense and inflexible.  In this stage if proper treatment is not administered the new tissue stays short and tight.  There is an ensuing decrease in blood flow and the pain pattern begins.  The muscle can weaken making it difficult to carry on normal daily tasks without pain.  The common diagnoses related to this cycle are carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis/golfer's elbow, rotator cuff pain, neck pain, mid back pain, low back pain, hip pain, knee pain, plantar fascitis, Achilles tendinitis, and many other pain syndromes. 

Dr. Stoebe and Dr. Matury bring a unique approach to treating these conditions - Active Release Techniques (ART).  ART is a patented soft tissue management system specifically engineered to treat these problems.  Dr. Michael Leahy, a graduate of the Air Force academy with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering who then went on to become a Doctor of Chiropractic, developed the procedure.  The original idea stemmed from Dr Leahy's involvement in Ironman Triathlons.  Dr. Leahy saw first hand how repetitive strain injuries effected the athletes.  Most received very little benefit from the treatment available at the time.  Now at any given Ironman Competition one can see a long line of athletes waiting to be treated by ART providers who have volunteered to treat at these events.  The treatment then found an additional  front to treat soft tissue injuries- THE WORK FORCE.  Repetitive strain injuries of the upper extremities has overtaken low back pain as the number 1 cost drain on industry.  Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the big culprits.  A small electronics factory in Colorado Springs called Sanmina-Sci watched their health care costs skyrocket over the course of just a few years to nearly 900,000 dollars in 2002.  In 2003 they decided to employ 2 ART providers to come to the plant and treat their workers.  In that first year their costs went down to 175,000 dollars.  OSHA gave a "Best Practice"  award to Sanmina-Sci for the program.   This program is being added by companies such as Chrysler, Ball Aerospace, and Swift Meats.  For at home treatment please visit our page on exercises.  More can be learned about ART at activerelease.com and artcorpsolutions.com.