Service · Active Release Technique

Searched "ART chiropractor near me"? You're probably past the point where massage and stretching help.

Get stubborn tissue to let go.
Then rebuild the pattern.

Active Release Technique is a hands-on method for reducing tension and restoring movement in muscles, fascia, and tendons. It's especially useful when pain is being driven by restricted tissue, overuse, or repetitive posture.

Book a Movement Audit What ART Treats
Walk out with a custom action plan,
or the visit is FREE.
Certified ART provider
HSA / FSA accepted
Most patients booked within a week
Justin Maimone
"After three sessions he said I didn't need to come back."
Justin Maimone · ECMO Specialist, UVA Health
What ART Is

Soft tissue work, with precision.

Active Release Technique (ART) is a patented hands-on method developed for treating muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves that have become restricted or stuck.

Instead of generic massage or stretching, ART combines specific manual contact with active patient movement. The practitioner finds the restriction. The patient moves through it. The tissue lets go.

It works because tight, scarred, or overused tissue doesn't respond well to passive force. It responds to the right combination of contact and motion. Done correctly, results often happen in one or two visits.

ART isn't a "treatment of the week." We pair it with a Movement Audit so you keep the gains and progress into Rebuild.
Hands-on ART soft tissue work
Specific contact. Active movement. Precise result.
When ART Is The Right Call

Conditions ART treats well.

Some patterns respond fast to ART. These are the ones that come up most in our practice.

Desk-driven Neck Pain

The upper-trap knot, forward-head posture, the "computer neck" pattern.

Hip Stiffness & Sciatic

Piriformis tightness, deep glute restriction, sciatic nerve irritation.

Golf, Hike, Run Injuries

Repetitive overuse, asymmetric load patterns, IT band, plantar fasciitis.

Tension Headaches

Cervical-driven headaches from upper-back and neck restriction.

Shoulder Restriction

Frozen shoulder patterns, rotator cuff tightness, thoracic outlet issues.

Forearm & Elbow Issues

Tennis/golfer's elbow, carpal tunnel, repetitive grip overuse.

Calf & Achilles

Restriction from running, hiking, or extended standing.

Scar Tissue & Old Injuries

Adhesions from past surgeries, falls, or unresolved injuries.

How It Fits

ART inside the Rockfish Protocol.

ART rarely shows up by itself. In our practice, it lives inside the larger 3-phase protocol.

Phase 1 (Relief): ART is often the fastest way to get a pain signal to drop. Restricted tissue creates input the nervous system reads as threat. Releasing the restriction quiets the signal.

Phase 2 (Rebuild): Once the tissue lets go, we install the movement work that prevents the pattern from coming back. Without rebuild, the tissue tightens up again in weeks.

Phase 3 (Resilience): Occasional ART visits as needed for athletes, tradespeople, or anyone whose work creates predictable repetitive load.

One visit of ART without rebuild is just a temporary win. Both, together, is what holds.
Dr. Chris assessing movement after ART
ART releases. Movement rebuilds. Both together.
From Patients

When the tissue actually lets go.

Three sessions, hip pain solved. No long packages.

Chris was pivotal with zeroing in on a hip injury that had been plaguing me. He offered exercises I could do myself. After three sessions he said I didn't need to come back for a few months. No "you need 3x a week for 10 weeks."

Justin Maimone
Justin Maimone
ECMO Specialist, UVA Health
Whole family treated. The work he does is life-changing.

Dr. Chris is not only extremely qualified and experienced, but he's very kind and wants to understand the whole picture, including your full body and emotional pain.

Thea Gudonis
Thea Gudonis
Verified Google Review
Nervous system, neck, migraines. Life-changing work.

I came to Dr. Chris with extreme nervous system dysfunction, neck and shoulder pain, and intense migraines. The work he has done has been life changing. He truly listens.

Kristina Bates
Kristina Bates
Verified Google Review
Your Next Step

Ready to get the tissue to let go?

Every patient starts with a Movement Audit. We'll determine if ART is the right call for what you're dealing with.

Book a Movement Audit Call 434-361-4480
Walk out with a custom action plan,
or the visit is FREE.
Certified ART provider
HSA / FSA accepted
Most patients seen within a week

Visit the Practice

Address
1543 Beech Grove Rd
Roseland, VA 22967
Phone
434-361-4480
Email
info@rockfishchiropractic.com
Hours
By appointment via JaneApp
Book a Movement Audit