Active Release Technique in San Clemente.

For the tightness that keeps coming back after every stretch: we hold the tension, you move, and the stuck tissue finally lets go.

Stubborn adhesions Pinched nerves Schedule Appointment

What It Is

Our hands. Your movement. One release.

When a muscle gets overused or hurt, the tissue can lay down tiny bands of scar called adhesions. They glue together layers that are meant to glide. The muscle feels tight, short, and weak, and a nerve running through it can get trapped in the mess.

Active Release Technique goes straight at it. Your therapist finds the exact spot by hand, applies precise tension, and has you move the muscle through its full range. That combination breaks the adhesion and frees the nerve underneath.

Surfers and lifters know this one: the shoulder or hip that warms up fine, then locks again by the next session. You’re not imagining it, and stretching harder won’t undo scar tissue. This treats the actual tissue, by hand.

Doctor of Physical Therapy performing Active Release Technique on a patient's forearm You set the pressure, always

What It Helps

Where Active Release earns its keep.

If a muscle warms up, then locks right back, adhesions are usually why. Left alone, they pull on everything around them and the problem spreads.

The neck tightness that pulls into a headache A nerve that aches down the back of your leg Hips that grip and never fully loosen A calf or Achilles that stays bound up The pull that flares every time you load it Scar tissue from an old injury that never moved right

What A Session Looks Like

Three steps, one visit.

1

We find the exact adhesion by hand.

2

We hold tension while you move through range.

3

We load the freed muscle, same visit.

Why It Works

Four reasons it earns a place in your plan.

Frees tissue stretching can’t reach.

Releases the nerve, not just the muscle.

You feel the change before you leave.

Restores glide, so range comes back.

Pairs Well With

Active Release rarely works alone.

Manual Therapy Hands-on joint work that keeps the freed tissue gliding between sessions. Sports Rehab Rebuilds strength through the full range you just got back.

Questions, Answered

Active Release, no mystery.

You’ll feel firm pressure and a strong stretch for a few seconds as the adhesion releases, then it eases. Most people call it a good kind of sore, the spot that’s been bothering them finally getting worked. You control the pressure the whole time, and we tell you exactly what to expect before we start.

Massage works over a broad area while you stay still. Active Release is specific: your Doctor of Physical Therapy holds tension on one exact spot while you actively move the muscle through its range. That movement is what breaks the adhesion and frees a trapped nerve, which passive rubbing can’t do.

It depends on your plan, and we verify your exact benefits before your first session, so there’s no surprise on your bill. Active Release is usually billed as part of your physical therapy visit, not a separate charge. Questions before then? Call us at (949) 388-5692.

Book Your Visit

Ready when you are.

Request a time and a real person calls you back, usually within two business hours. No phone tree. No ‘someone will reach out.’ Just a plan.

  • Hours Monday - Friday: 7am - 7pm
  • (949) 388-5692 Prefer to talk now? Call us.
  • Same-week appointments available

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