When this tissue is healthy, it is smooth and slippery, allowing the muscles, nerves, blood vessels, or organs to move freely and function properly. Imagine a piece of scotch tape, the smooth side is healthy fascia, the sticky side is scar tissue or unhealthy fascia. Try rubbing both sides of the tape along your skin. The smooth side slips easily across your skin. The sticky side drags across your skin.
Adhesions attach to muscles, decreasing their ability to work properly.
You know you have an adhesion on a nerve if you get many abnormal sensations like numbness, tingling, or pain. There are many types of massage, but most massage techniques promotes relaxation and circulation. Neuromuscular Massage is a little more specific but it does not correct the soft tissue problems and make them work properly. In contrast ART is protocol designed specifically for the correction of adhesions and scar tissues. Proficiency at ART takes a long time to develop.