The effect of A.R.T on pain thresholds

Study Title: Immediate effect on pain thresholds using active release technique on adductor strains: Pilot study.
Authors: A. Robb & J. Pajaczkowski
Journal: Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies
Date: January 2011

Summary:

• Here is a nice little pilot study by two of my colleagues from Toronto on the effect of Active Release Techniques on immediate pain thresholds in elite ice hockey players. Using 9 players from AAA to the major junior level, they studied the influence of this popular manual therapy technique on its ability to modulate reported pain pressure thresholds (PPT) in acute adductor muscle strains. Up until now, the majority of the current literature on this technique had looked at the beneficial application of ART through case studies, however, few if any have looked deeper into the therapeutic effect of such protocols. PPT, "the minimal amount of pressure applied to the tissue to change the pressure sensation to discomfort or pain",  was assessed both pre- and post-treatment via a hand-held mechanical pressure algometer. A significant improvement in PPT was demonstrated in this study. Since the painful experience involves both a bottom-up and top-down process, this study sheds some light into the potential positive effects manual therapy may have in acute pain patients. While the authors disclose that it is still difficult to conclude with certainty the exact pathophysiological and histological mechanisms responsible for these outcomes, they do provide some potential mechanisms for such reduction of pain. Certainly this study lacked a large sample size and randomization (hence a pilot study), however, the work of Drs. Robb and Pajaczkowski do pave the way for further research to validate a therapy that carries with it an extreme wealth of anecdotal evidence.

Robb, A. & Pajaczkowski, J. (2011). Immediate effect on pain thresholds using active release technique on adductor strains: Pilot study. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 15, 57-62