What is IASTM?
It all beIASTM stands for Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Therapy. To parse that out, it just means that someone is using a tool to treat soft tissue such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments.gins with an idea.
IASTM stands for Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Therapy. To parse that out, it just means that someone is using a tool to treat soft tissue such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments. IASTM has been around for thousands of years with beginnings in ancient China. That original version of IASTM was a form of scraping over the skin with the use of some sort of tool. The tools involved ranged from a metal coin to a sliver of ox horn. Anything could be used, as long as it was smooth and rigid enough to cause light bruising on the surface of the skin.
Today, IASTM has advanced only moderately. We still use similar tools to what the ancient Chinese healers used, however, today’s materials are a bit more advanced and regulated. For instance, ox horns cannot be used for IASTM. The material is slightly porous and can become a reservoir for bacterial growth. Most tools today are made of stainless or surgical steel and come in various shapes, depending on the purposes.
The intent behind IASTM has also changed since the days of gua-sha. In ancient China and Vietnam, gua-sha was often used to rid one’s body of a cold in the early days of the summer. For this reason, it was also called summer therapy. There is no current evidence proving that gua-sha can work to remove colds or any other illness, however, there is plenty of merit to the placebo effect.
With the use of stronger materials, we are now able to use IASTM to help alleviate soft tissue pain and increase range of motion (ROM) in the short term. Several current studies have shown that there is an increase in ROM and a decrease in localized pain after a session of IASTM (Koumantakis, et al., 2020; Qadree, et al., 2022). These sessions can vary in length and frequency, but the results are fairly consistent.
A four week trial, conducted by Qadree, et al., showed that patients suffering from diagnosed sciatica were helped with IASTM. Using IASTM, neural mobilization, and lumbar traction, researchers were able to reduce sciatica related pain and increase ROM in all trial participants. The IASTM was performed along the lumbar spine, into the gluteal muscles, and along the hamstrings.
A further study, performed by Koumantakis, et al., showed that there was an immediate increase in ROM and proprioception in study participants after receiving a 5 minute IASTM treatment. This result was comparable to an 8 minute light hand massage, and a 5 minute vibration treatment. This shows that IASTM is just as effective for the treatment of soft tissue injuries as is massage therapy, or vibration therapy.
With this information, it can be concluded that IASTM can be as effective as manual massage. In some cases, it may be more effective since the treatment time is sped up a bit. It is also ideal in cases such as sciatica, to use IASTM to get into the smaller areas between skeletal structures and treat a more precise area for more targeted results.
Personally, I believe that IASTM is a huge upgrade to any soft tissue therapy, such as massage. I have seen immediate improvements in ROM and reduction in localized pain from my own utilization of IASTM. The next time you’re in for a session, don’t hesitate to ask for IASTM!
References
Koumantakis, G. A., Roussou, E., Angoules, G. A., Angoules, N. A., Alexandropoulos, T., Mavrokosta, G., Nikolaou, P., Karathanassi, F., & Papadopoulou, M. (2020). The immediate effect of IASTM vs. Vibration vs. Light Hand Massage on knee angle repositioning accuracy and hamstrings flexibility: A pilot study. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 24(3), 96-104. 10.1016/j.jbmt.2020.02.007
Osailan, A., Jamaan, A., Talha, K., & Alhndi, M. (2021). Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) versus stretching: A comparison in effectiveness on hip active range of motion, muscle torque and power in people with hamstring tightness. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 27, 200-206. 10.1016/j.jbmt.2021.03.001
Qadree, M. S., Rehman, S. S., Riaz, M. U., Anees, M., & Rajput, H. I. (2022). EFFECTS OF GRASTON INSTRUMENT SOFT TISSUE MOBILIZATION IN PATIENTS WITH SCIATIC NERVE ENTRAPMENT. Pakistan Journal of Rehabilitation, 11(2), 83-91. 10.36283/pjr.zu.11.2/013