Dr. Leahy performing ART on Dr. Willis during a seminar.

The Gold Standard
in Soft-Tissue Care®
Since 1984

OUR MISSION

Power the pursuit of passions, livelihoods, and triumphs, by increasing access to higher-quality, more cost-effective care.

Maximize Treatment Success

Stop compromising your integrity and start providing effective, targeted care with ART. Say goodbye to selling lengthy, expensive treatment programs and hello to improved referral and repeat patients.

Boost Workplace Health

As an employer, don’t let productivity suffer while waiting for conditions to become compensable claims or recordable injuries. Utilize ART to address soft-tissue pain and prevent future injuries.

Prioritize Patient Comfort

Don’t settle for countless medical visits with minimal improvement or risky invasive procedures. Make ART your first choice for soft-tissue care and experience relief without breaking the bank.

The Evolution of ART

Delve into the rich history of this innovative approach to soft tissue therapy, tracing its development from its inception to its present-day prominence. Follow the timeline of ART’s evolution and discover how it has revolutionized the landscape of musculoskeletal treatment.

A timeline with photos from ART's history. Dates include: 1984: Fresh from graduating top of his class at Los Angeles Chiropractic College, Dr. Michael Leahy pushed for improved patient outcomes. 1988: Active Release Techniques® (ART) hosts its first seminars. 1997: Active Release Techniques®, LLCis established. 2001: Dr. Leahy obtained the sole patent ever awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a manual soft-tissue treatment system. 2005: ART Corporate Solutions was established.
Meet the Founder

Dr. Michael Leahy

P. Michael Leahy, DC, ART, CCSP, founder of ART

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Dr. Michael Leahy

P. Michael Leahy, DC, ART, CCSP, founder of ART

Dr. P. Michael Leahy is an honor graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, former fighter pilot, and proud veteran. After his military service, Dr. Leahy graduated valedictorian of Los Angeles College of Chiropractic.

ART’s development required a unique understanding of engineering, biomechanics, anatomy, and healthcare, all in a doctor more dedicated to his patients’ full and quick recovery than increasing revenue by prescribing many visits for the same issue. In other words, it required a genius trained in many complex fields, with a heart for the hurting.

Throughout his career, Dr. Leahy has regularly treated professional, collegiate, and Olympic athletes, including Ironman champions, members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Olympic gold medalists, PGA Tour champions, and even a U.S. President. He has been on staff with the NFL’s Denver Broncos for more than two decades, and he and his ART Team remain a mainstay at the finish line of the Ironman World Championships in Kona.

Dr. Leahy has never stopped developing ART treatment. He discovered and published the Law of Repetitive Motion and the Cumulative Injury Cycle, redefining understanding and treatment of athletic- and work-related injuries. Today, as president of ART, Dr. Leahy’s work is dedicated toward developing curriculum and instruction materials for ART that perfect ART models, systems, and protocols bit-by-bit, based on feedback from ART Certified Providers, professional athletes, and students collected over more than three decades. ART’s aim remains the same. Dr. Leahy and his team are dedicated to continuing to push the limits of efficacy and efficiency in soft-tissue and nerve care.

Dr. Leahy is honored to be married for 48 years to his wife Patty Leahy, who was instrumental in the development and growth of ART as a company. He is a proud father to his sons Michael Jr. and Matthew, and grandfather to nine. Dr. Leahy has completed more than 25 Ironman triathlons. He also enjoys golf, a good joke, and a speedy recovery.

P. Michael Leahy, DC, ART, CCSP, founder of ART

ART has shown me that I can rise above my broken body experience, live a more comfortable life, and have faith in the medical profession once again.

Heather Quinn Nelson – Patient

While playing recreational ice hockey, I fell in an awkward manner and my leg twisted under my skate. I immediately felt pain in my knee and lower leg. For weeks I suffered, limping around and taking medications. With the physical trauma associated with my injury, I thought I was headed for a scope, or worse, surgery. After just two ART sessions, my knee and leg are feeling great again, with no pain.

Bill MacNeill – Patient

Other forms of hands-on therapy – myofascial release, chiropractic, whatever – all work. But we’re talking about fixing 95 percent of problems in four visits, versus 50 percent of them in 30 visits.

ART is a key component in my success as a professional triathlete. Over five years of consistent ART care has helped me to optimize recovery, avoid injuries, repair soft-tissue disfunction, and perform at peak levels, posting career wins at Ironman races.

Michael Weiss -Patient and Pro Triathlete

The testimonials for ART often sound too good to be true. Athletes faced with career-ending injuries have experienced instant recoveries, often after their first session.

With regular ART treatment, my muscles feel younger, less stiff.

Justin Halloran – Patient

Though professional athletes use the technique, people who sit at a desk and suffer from neck, back, and shoulder pain can also benefit.

With ART, I see immediate improvement 90 percent of the time.

Dr. Durlan Castro – Provider

If you’re suffering from a shoulder injury, carpal tunnel syndrome, or any deep muscle injury and you thought surgery was the only way to get relief, think again.

I began receiving ART treatments in 2001 after my fourth knee surgery in 18 months. I firmly believe ART helped save my career. I retired after the 2008 season and 15 years as a quarterback in the NFL. I still utilize ART as part of my overall wellness routine. I believe in it so much that I’ve introduced my wife and children to the benefits of ART.

Trent Green, CBS Sports Analyst and 15-Year NFL Quarterback – Patient

I had physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic treatments. Nothing seemed to get me all the way back. With ART, my basic injury seems to be entirely gone.

Kate Fonshell, US Olympic Long-Distance Runner – Patient

On game days, Peyton Manning spends 25 to 30 minutes with Dr. Leahy for more ART work…for Manning, who looks more and more like Peyton in his prime, the maddening attention to detail is paying dividends.

What’s amazing to me is that it works so fast. It seems like black magic. I’ve been to a succession of orthopedics, chiropractors, and acupuncturists over more than 30 years of suffering with a bad back. None matched ART for pure speed. I’ve had ART treatment for four different problems, and each time the cure was nearly instant.

William Goldman, Screenwriter – Patient

ART not only gives your patients fast results, but you, too, will get a fast referral influx to your practice.

Dr. Tim Osborn – Provider

ART, which has been lauded as no less than miraculous, has helped athletes overcome or avoid muscle-related problems…ART has earned so much acclaim, the University of California-San Diego medical school has made [Dr. Leahy] a professor, labeling his techniques as the standard for treating soft-tissue injuries.

In fall 2017, I was running the Kansas City Marathon and had to stop due to the worst pain in my right hip. It felt like my bones were rubbing against each other with every step. The following week, I had two sessions of ART and was able to run the Kansas Half without pain the next week. That was my first exposure to ART, and I took my first ART seminar in January 2018. I was ART Full Body certified by March and use ART regularly to help my clients.

Rachel Hockenbarger – LMT, Patient + Provider

After a second ART session, I found that I was able to rotate my right arm in a circle with no discomfort, no feeling of something “clicking” in the socket. That’s after 26 years of clicks.

Lou Schuler – Patient

I’m partial to ART …after a single session, I hopped off the table, noticed that my back no longer hurt, then reached down and touched my toes for the first time in 15 years.

ART has taken my practice from 50-60 percent success rate to 80-90 percent success rate.

Dr. Jon Petrick – Provider

ART gives me the best bang for the buck, and if I had to choose one thing to keep me performing well it would be ART.

Bill Romanowski – 4-Time Super Bowl Champion, Patient

Regular couch potatoes are also becoming converts, using ART to treat repetitive strain and stress injuries, leftover pain from car accidents and chronic back pain.

Colorado Springs Pikes Peak Garden of the Gods

Find Certified Providers Near You

Search for an ART Certified Provider in your area:

ART Headquarters

Street Address

9240 Explorer Drive, Suite 210
Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Phone Numbers

Toll-free: 888-396-2727
Local: 719-634-7463
Fax: 719-442-1504

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