Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization

Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) is a manual therapy technique which enables clinicians to efficiently locate and treat individuals diagnosed with soft tissue dysfunction. The technique itself is said to be a modern evolution from Traditional Chinese Medicine called Gua Sha. However, Gua Sha was not used to treat musculoskeletal conditions, but was traditionally applied along meridians to move the bad chi out through the skin. IASTM is a procedure that is rapidly growing in popularity due to its effectiveness and efficiency while remaining non-invasive, with its own indications and limitations.

• IASTM is performed with ergonomically designed instruments that detect and treat fascial restrictions, encourage rapid localization and effectively treat areas exhibiting soft tissue fibrosis, chronic inflammation, or degeneration. As in any manual therapy treatment, supplementation with exercises and additional modalities, (e.g. joint mobilization and chiropractic adjusting) designed to correct biomechanical deficiencies by addressing musculoskeletal strength and muscle imbalances throughout the entire kinetic chain, should be used in conjunction with IAS

IASTM can be used to help alleviate the symptoms of limited and/or painful motion, motor control issues, or muscle recruitment issues.