What is Adhesion Release Methods?

Adhesion Release Methods (ARM) is a targeted manual treatment system designed to identify and treat one of the most common causes of chronic pain: adhesions. 

Adhesions are caused by injury, repetive movement, and even sedentary lifestyles. They can be thought of as “glue” within the body’s soft tissue that limits movement, creates tension, and can even trap nerves or blood vessels. Over time, this leads to pain, stiffness, weakness, and reduced functionality. 

The goal of ARM is to restore normal tissue quality, improve range of motion, reduce pain, and get the body working the way it’s supposed to again by removing these restrictions at their source.

​​What makes Adhesion Release Methods different from traditional massage or therapy is the methodology behind it. ARM is not just about applying pressure—it’s about applying the right pressure in the right way. This is where depth, vector, and tension come in. 

• Depth refers to how much pressure is needed to actually reach the adhesion. 
  
• Vector is the direction of that pressure, which must align with the structure being treated. 
  
• Tension is created by either the practitioner or the client moving the body in a way that stretches the tissue while the adhesion is being treated. 



What to expect during the hands-on part of your treatment:

Step 1: You will first feel pressure while the therapist determines the depth needed for treatment.

Step 2: The therapist will then delicately bow the tissue in different directions to find the vector at which there is the greatest pushback. This feels like hitting a stuck or hard spot in the tissue (healthy tissue has give-back and feels doughy). Pushback is indicative of adhesion. 

Step 3: Once the depth and vector are determined, movement occurs to create tension that forces a mechanical change in the tissue, effectively breaking down the adhesion. 

This process looks very similar to the pin and stretch concept in manual therapy, and many clients describe adhesion release as a “hurts so good” sensation.

A key piece of the ARM protocol is the test–treat–retest approach. Every session starts with movement testing to identify which motions reproduce symptoms and where the body is restricted. From there, treatment is applied directly to the structures contributing to that limitation. 

Immediately after, the same movement is tested again to see if there’s been a change. This creates clear, real-time feedback that shows whether the treatment is actually working. 

Improvement is measured by either an increase in range of motion in the affected area, reduction of pain and symptoms, or ideally, both. 

Because of this structured approach, ARM is designed to create lasting tissue change, not just short-term relief.