Maki R: I've been there and done that for sure.

Dr Wan: ART practitioners should be biomechanically aware of what movement you are doing and every single muscle that is involved with that movement.  With scar tissue buildup, there is a certain "feel" to it and the practitioner should be able to pinpoint where the problem is, fix it and get you to performing to 100% of your capabilities.

Maki R:  How many treatments does it usually take to fix someone?

Dr Wan: It depends on the severity of the problem, but there should be marked improvement in symptoms within 6-8 treatments.  If there are no changes the practitioner should refer the person to somewhere else or try a different approach.

Maki R: How long do the treatments last in each session?

Dr Wan: Initial sessions for ART should usually last 30 minutes, whilst subsequent visits normally take around 15-20 minutes.  Of course it varies depending on the problems, and the number of muscles involved in the problem.

Maki R: Do you have to do anything after your sessions are over (specific stretching etc)?

Dr Wan: Stretching is very important to maintaining proper muscle length and to prevent recurrence of injury.  The benefits of stretching also include improved flexibility, agility and posture.

Icing is also important, and should be for 10 minutes.  Common misconceptions of icing often involve people leaving the ice on for hours on end.  Ice is supposed to help vasoconstrict blood vessels, but after 10 minutes, the body will do the reverse of what it was meant to do and vasodilate the vessels because it senses a shortage of blood going to the area being ice. Often times ART may feel aggressive and slightly painful, but the icing will help decrease any inflammation and facilitate the healing process even more.

Maki R:  With people who lift weights on a regular basis, what muscles usually need to be worked on when it comes to being treated? (I.e. internal rotators from bench-pressing etc)

Dr Wan: Besides the obvious muscles such as the Pectoralis Major, Deltoids, Triceps and Quads, there are the smaller support muscles.  For instance, one patient came in and had severe problems with bench pressing.   He was strong as an

Ox, able to bench 405 pounds but has been unable to do so for a while and couldn't pinpoint why.  After working on his pectoralis major, minor, deltoids, triceps he was still unable to do his bench pressing.  I noticed that his right clavicle had abnormal motion when compared to the left, so worked out his subclavius muscle and the AC ligament.  6 treatments later, he was back to benching 405 pounds.

That being said, muscles such as the external rotators of the shoulder and hip (teres minor, infraspinatus, gluteus medius, Piriformis) as well as ligaments such as the Medial collateral in the knee and AC ligament in the shoulders need to be worked on as well.

Strength trainers can lift more weight then any other people but when doing so on a regular basis, normal wear and tear are bound to occur and when that happens, ART is a great fixture in helping someone get achieve their optimal status.

Maki R: Dr Wan thanks for sharing this info. I'm sure it will turn some people on to this rather unknown art of soft tissue release.

Dr Wan: No problem. If people want to contact me for further questions my email is: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

About Dr Wan

Dr. Jonathan Wan was born and raised in Vancouver, BC and attended the University of British Columbia for his undergraduate work. He then continued on to Western States Chiropractic College in Portland, Oregon, to complete his doctorate in chiropractic. Returning back to his roots, he has come back to Vancouver to practice at Precision Health. Because of his strong interest in sports and athletes, he has found an appropriate fit with the clinic. He is an avid hockey player and enjoys a multitude of sports including golf and bodybuilding. This has fine-tuned his appreciation for the human body and the biomechanics involved. Dr. Wan is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) licensed through the NSCA.

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