Active Release Technique for Runners and Athletes in Greenville, SC
Move Faster. Recover Better. Stay in the Game.
If you're an athlete in Greenville — whether you're training for the Greenville News Run Downtown, logging miles on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, grinding through CrossFit WODs, or playing in a local pickleball league — your body is under constant repetitive stress. And repetitive stress creates adhesions.
Active Release Technique (ART®) is the soft tissue treatment that elite athletes rely on, and it's available right here in Greenville at Popwell Scota Spine Center. ART identifies and releases the specific adhesions that cause pain, limit performance, and lead to overuse injuries — helping you train harder, recover faster, and stay healthy.
Why Athletes Need ART
Every training session creates microtrauma in your muscles, tendons, and fascia. That's normal — it's how you get stronger. But when the repair process outpaces your recovery, or when you train through tightness and minor pain, the body lays down scar tissue (adhesions) instead of healthy, elastic tissue.
These adhesions shorten muscles, restrict joint range of motion, alter your movement mechanics, and compress nerves. The result? You lose power, you lose efficiency, and eventually, you get injured.
ART breaks this cycle by finding and releasing those adhesions before they become injuries — or treating them quickly when they do.
Common Athletic Conditions We Treat with ART
IT Band Syndrome (Runner's Knee)
The iliotibial band runs along the outside of your thigh from hip to knee. When the IT band or the muscles that attach to it — especially the tensor fascia latae (TFL) and gluteus maximus — develop adhesions, the band tightens and rubs against the outside of the knee. The result is that sharp, burning pain on the outside of your knee that stops you mid-run.
Foam rolling the IT band is common advice, but it's usually not enough — and it can be painful without being effective. ART treats the specific adhesions in the TFL, glute max, vastus lateralis, and the IT band itself that create the excessive tension. We also evaluate hip stability and glute activation, because IT band problems are almost always connected to hip dysfunction.
Achilles Tendonitis and Calf Tightness
The Achilles tendon absorbs enormous force with every stride. When the calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) develop adhesions, they lose flexibility and transfer excessive load to the tendon. Over time, this leads to tendon irritation, thickening, and pain — especially with running, jumping, and hill work.
ART releases the adhesions in the calf complex, restores proper tendon glide, and reduces the mechanical overload that's driving the tendonitis. We also check the posterior tibialis and the plantar fascia, because adhesions in those structures often contribute to Achilles problems.
Shin Splints (Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome)
Shin splints are an inflammation of the muscles, tendons, and periosteum along the inside of the shin. They're common in runners who increase mileage too quickly, change surfaces, or have biomechanical issues in the foot and ankle.
ART targets the tibialis posterior, soleus, and the fascial attachments along the tibia — the specific structures that are inflamed and adhered. Relief is often rapid, and combined with training modifications, most athletes can return to full activity quickly.
Hamstring Strains and Chronic Tightness
Hamstring strains are among the most common running and sports injuries, and they have a notoriously high recurrence rate. Why? Because after a strain, scar tissue forms at the injury site. That scar tissue is weaker and less elastic than the original muscle. If it's not properly treated, the scar tissue becomes a weak link that re-tears under load.
ART is one of the most effective treatments for hamstring scar tissue. We identify the exact location and extent of the adhesion, then use specific protocols to break it apart and restore normal tissue quality. This reduces your recurrence risk and gets you back to full performance faster.
Hip Flexor Strain and Tightness
Tight hip flexors — especially the psoas and iliacus — are epidemic among runners, cyclists, and anyone who sits during the day and trains hard in the evening. Adhesions in these muscles restrict hip extension, alter your running mechanics, and can contribute to low back pain, anterior hip pain, and even knee problems.
ART releases the deep adhesions in the hip flexor complex that stretching can't reach. The psoas is a deep muscle that doesn't respond well to surface-level treatments. ART's precise, movement-based approach is one of the few manual techniques that can effectively treat it.
Plantar Fasciitis
Heel and arch pain is common in runners, especially those with higher training volumes. ART treats plantar fasciitis by releasing adhesions in the plantar fascia itself and in the calf, ankle, and foot muscles that contribute to the problem.
ART for Performance — Not Just Injury Recovery
ART isn't only for when something hurts. Many athletes use ART proactively to:
Improve range of motion. More hip extension means a longer stride. More ankle dorsiflexion means better squat depth. More shoulder mobility means safer overhead movement. ART restores the range of motion that adhesions gradually steal from you.
Enhance muscle activation. Adhesions can inhibit muscle firing. When a muscle is "stuck" to the fascia or nerve around it, it can't contract as efficiently. Releasing those adhesions restores full neuromuscular function — which translates directly to more power and speed.
Accelerate recovery between sessions. ART improves blood flow and tissue health in treated areas. Athletes who receive ART regularly often report that they recover faster between training sessions and accumulate less residual tightness over a training block.
Prevent injuries before they happen. A certified ART provider can identify adhesions that are developing before they cause symptoms. Treating these pre-symptomatic restrictions is the most effective injury prevention strategy available — far more effective than stretching alone.
ART in the Sports World
ART is the official soft tissue treatment at major sporting events, including Ironman triathlons and CrossFit Games competitions. It's used by team chiropractors in the NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB. Professional runners, golfers, tennis players, and Olympic athletes rely on ART as a core part of their training and recovery programs.
You don't have to be a professional to benefit from the same treatment. If you train seriously, ART can help you perform at your best.
What a Sports ART Session Looks Like
Movement screening. We watch you move — squat, lunge, single-leg balance, overhead reach — to identify compensation patterns and restrictions that affect your sport.
Sport-specific palpation. Based on your activity and symptoms, we palpate the muscles, tendons, and fascia most likely to be involved. For a runner, that's typically the hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and plantar fascia. For a CrossFitter, it's often the shoulders, lats, forearms, and hips.
Targeted ART treatment. We treat the specific adhesions we find, using protocols designed for each tissue. You'll move actively during every protocol — this isn't passive lying-on-the-table treatment.
Training recommendations. We give you actionable guidance — warm-up modifications, mobility drills, training load adjustments — that complement your ART treatment and help you train smarter.
ART + Chiropractic for Athletes
Joints and soft tissues work together. If your hip joint isn't moving properly, the muscles around it compensate — and those compensations create adhesions. If the adhesions are released but the joint dysfunction isn't corrected, the adhesions come back.
At Popwell Scota Spine Center, we combine ART with chiropractic adjustments to address both sides of the equation. This integrated approach produces faster recovery, better performance, and longer-lasting results than either treatment alone.
Get Back to What You Love
Whether you're trying to PR your next race, get back on the field after an injury, or just train consistently without pain, ART can help. Don't let adhesions hold you back from the performance your training deserves.
📞 Call Popwell Scota Spine Center at (864) 244-2220 or schedule your appointment online. We're located at 107 Pelham Commons Blvd, Greenville, SC 29615.
FAQs — ART for Athletes
Should I get ART before or after a race?
Both have value. Pre-race ART (ideally two to three days before, not the day of) can optimize tissue mechanics and range of motion. Post-race ART accelerates recovery by releasing adhesions and promoting blood flow to overworked muscles. Many competitive athletes schedule ART both before and after major events.
Can I train on the same day I get ART?
Yes. There's no restriction on training after ART. Some athletes prefer to schedule ART on easier training days, but it's fine to train before or after a session. You may feel some temporary soreness in the treated areas, similar to post-workout soreness.
How often should athletes get ART?
During active training blocks or when managing an injury, weekly sessions are common. For maintenance and injury prevention during normal training, every two to four weeks is typically sufficient. Your frequency depends on your training volume, injury history, and goals.
Is ART covered by insurance for sports injuries?
ART is often billed as a chiropractic or manual therapy service. Coverage varies by plan. Our office can verify your benefits before your first visit. Many patients find that even without insurance coverage, ART pays for itself through reduced injury time and faster recovery.