![]() INSTRUMENT ASSISTED SOFT-TISSUE MOBILIZATION: A COMMENTARY ON CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR REHABILITATION PROFESSIONALS. Scraping therapy is an excellent adjunct to your regular foam rolling routine, along with stretching and mobility exercises for best results.Ĭheatham SW, Baker R, Kreiswirth E. With a gua sha tool, you can really feel those gritty myofascial adhesions. Modern scraping tools are usually made from stainless steel and sport a beveled edge to work differently into the tissue than a traditional massage tool, foam roller, or lacrosse ball. Muscle scraping and Graston fall under this category. IASTM is the umbrella term for any soft tissue work using specialized tools to treat soft tissue injury. Muscle scraping, Gua sha, the Graston technique, and instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) are often used interchangeably but have some differences in technique and historical background. Muscle scraping comes from a Gua Sha technique using a tool to “scrape” the skin to stimulate blood flow. I like to give you the background science to better understand why you’re doing what you’re doing. This was the first time I had seen a set of clinical-grade tools at an affordable price geared toward the public, and I was intrigued.įirst things first, what the heck is muscle scraping? I’m glad you asked. I came across an ad for Sidekick on social media and immediately reached out to them. I’ve also tried plenty of no-name budget tools that were just, meh, and usually ended up in the junk drawer.Īs a physical therapist, I have an abnormal amount of rehab goodies just lying around the house, for myself or, you know, company.įast forward to 2020. But thousands of dollars for a set is quite a pricey barrier. ![]() I’ve used several brands of clinical-grade tools, like Hawk Grips and Graston, just to name drop a few, which are great but very expensive.ĭon’t get me wrong, these clinical-grade tools are excellent and have many different shapes to accommodate different body contours. ![]() Muscle scraping tools offer a different level of soft tissue mobilization that can’t be accomplished by hand to address myofascial restriction. I started using instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) aka muscle scraper tools back in 2013 after training at a physical therapy continuing education course.Īfter fourteen hours of learning (and several slices of pizza along with some free soft tissue work), I was excited to add this new skill to my toolbox. My background with soft tissue release toolsįirst, I’ll give you some quick background info so you know I’m not just some internet rando raving about a tool. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |