Active release technique (ART) is an effective method to treat the upper cross syndrome – a muscle imbalance condition where muscles occasionally get stiff and shortened from their original length. Active isolated stretching (AIS) also showed effectiveness, but with less significant effects.
This was a conclusion of researchers who conducted a single blinded randomized clinical trial involving 37 subjects. Several tools, including APECS, were used for for assessments.
The team of researchers was based in several research and medical institutions in Lahore, Pakistan: Fizza Ali Syed (Baloch Hospital), Idrees Ahmed Zahoor and Arif Ali Rana (Central Park Medical College), Saira Shabbir and Mubshra Ibrahim (Riphah International University), Erum Ghaffar (Hajvery University).
The results of this research has been published in the article Effects of Active Release Technique and Active Isolated Stretching on muscles of Upper Cross Syndrome in the Pakistan BioMedical Journal.
For details about the methodology, conclusions, and recommendations, you can read the article in open access here: https://doi.org/10.54393/pbmj.v5i7.621
