Active Release Technique (ART) in Almancil
Active Release Technique in Almancil, Algarve. Alex Cabrita is one of very few therapists in Portugal certified in full-body ART®, covering spine, upper limbs and lower limbs. It is the technique people tend to find after physiotherapy and chiropractic have not held.
4.9 · 33 Google reviewsWhy come here for ART®
ART® is a patented soft tissue system used by elite sports teams and Olympic athletes. It treats muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves by holding tension in the tissue while you move the joint through its range. That combination of pressure and movement reaches restrictions that static massage passes over.
Full-body certification means spine, upper limbs and lower limbs, each a separate qualification. Alex holds all three, which is rare in Portugal. He certified in spine in 2015, lower limbs in 2016 and upper limbs in 2017.
It is particularly effective for problems that have not responded to other treatment: repetitive strain injuries, nerve entrapments, and pain that keeps coming back to the same place.
- ART® Spine, certified 2015
- ART® Lower Limbs, certified 2016
- ART® Upper Limbs, certified 2017
- One of very few full-body certified in Portugal
- BSc Sports Science
- 4.9 on Google
What ART® is particularly good for
Conditions where ART® tends to be the technique that changes things when others have not.
- Tennis and golfer elbow
- Carpal tunnel syndrome and nerve entrapments
- Shoulder impingement and rotator cuff problems
- Sciatica and piriformis syndrome
- Plantar fasciitis
- IT band syndrome
- Repetitive strain from work or sport
- Scar tissue and adhesions after injury
What a session involves
Finding the restriction
ART® is diagnostic as well as therapeutic. By feeling tissue texture, tension and movement I can locate the specific adhesion causing your symptoms rather than working broadly.
Tension and movement
I hold a precise contact on the tissue while you move the limb through a specific range. It is active, so you are working too. This is what separates ART® from massage you lie still for.
Checking the change
We retest the movement that hurt. Range of movement usually changes within a session, which tells us both whether we are in the right place.
What it costs
Clinic sessions in Almancil. Mobile massage across the Algarve is €140 per hour.
For a first appointment I would usually suggest the hour, because most of the value in session one is working out what is actually going on. Payment by cash or card at the clinic.
Book on WhatsAppCommon questions
What does ART® feel like?
Specific and intense while the contact is held, then usually a noticeable release. It is short bursts rather than sustained pressure, and you are moving throughout rather than lying still.
How is it different from deep tissue massage?
Deep tissue applies pressure to an area. ART® holds a precise contact on a specific structure while the tissue moves underneath it. It is more targeted and it treats nerves and tendons, not just muscle.
How many sessions?
Repetitive strain problems often respond within three to five. Something longstanding with scar tissue can take longer. You should feel a change in range of movement in the first session even if the pain takes longer.
Can you combine it with other treatment?
Yes, and I usually do. ART® sits inside a session alongside remedial massage and trigger point work rather than being the whole hour.
Is it suitable if I am not an athlete?
Yes. Office workers with carpal tunnel or neck problems are some of the best candidates, because repetitive low-level loading is exactly what ART® addresses.
Other treatments and areas
Book an ART® session in Almancil
Clinic sessions from €37, or mobile across the Algarve. Tell me what has not responded to treatment so far.