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Chiropractors tout new method
The biggest thing blooming in Kay Bridges' garden was her back pain. "I tried a lot of things," said the horticultural consultant and designer, who went to chiropractors and massage therapy but eventually wound up on painkillers to numb the pain in her back triggered doing extra repetitions of a Tai Chi exercise. "I'd kind of reached the point where I had to cut back at work. It was really affecting me and it was painful," said Bridges. She ended up finding her relief - and throwing away those pills - after a new form of soft tissue treatments called Active Release Techniques. Inside the Kensington Road office of Jayson Shephard, doctor of chiropractic, Bridges is undergoing one of her last ART treatments. "I'm back to 100 percent," she said, after Shephard manipulated her back in a move that looks somewhat like a cross between wrestling and massage. "There's nothing I can't do now, nothing holds me back. I'm not afraid to do something because my back might hurt." Shephard has been doing the technique for five years, and is one of just six Canadian doctors trained to teach it. The brainchild of a Colorado Springs chiropractic doctor, ART differs from chiropractic in that it focuses, instead of on the joints, on the soft tissues such as muscles and ligaments. "Through repeated stress, the muscles get tight, they fatigue," said Shephard. "This reduces the amount of blood supply to the muscle." Muscles are shortened and scar tissue is formed, creating common conditions such as tendonitis or carpal tunnel syndrome, said Shephard. "It actually glues muscles to other muscles they're not supposed to be attached to," he said, explaining that can lead to a limited range of motion or pain when the muscles are used. Shephard first locates the tissue involved, whether it's a muscle, ligament or nerve entrapment causing the problem. He then manipulates the muscle involved while providing tension the other way, forcing the scar tissue to break up. The results are usually "unbelievable," he said. "People have usually gone everywhere else. We're usually the last resort. People come to us and they're desperate. We get them better fast, usually." Shephard concedes there are some for whom the treatment doesn't work. But he said it's usually apparent early into the usual six-treatment regime that they aren't responding to ART. Still, the treatment is gaining popularity, and is especially big in the athletic community. Sprinter Donovan Bailey brought attention to ART when he brought founder Michael Leahy to a race. Former Calgary Flames' defenceman Steve Smith, former slotback Vince Danielsen and Olympic bobsledder Pierre Leuders are among the many athletes whose signed pictures of thanks adorn Shephard's office lobby. Rock stars Kiss and Moist have also used ART, he said. But most of his clients are everyday people from all walks of life, often from repetitive strain workplace injuries. "Eighty percent of the people who come in here are regular Joes like us," said Shephard. His treatments cost $35 per session and may be covered by some insurance providers. Another chiropractor who practices ART is so convinced by it he's initiated a study with a local neurologist, aimed at proving scientifically whether the process works. Dan Migliarese is starting clinical trials with neurologist Dr. Chris White using diagnostic ultrasound to measure the changes in nerves of people with carpal tunnel syndrome who've had Active Release Techniques. "With the cases we're seeing, we see good improvement," said Migliarese. In five years of practice, Shephard said he's seen thousands of patients, and he expects more as the treatment gains exposure to the medical community and general population. "Why suffer?" adds Bridges, before heading back to her active life. |
