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Soft Tissue Mobilization

 

What is soft tissue mobilization?

Soft tissue mobilization (IASTYM, for short) is a set of physical therapy techniques used to treat soft tissue injuries. It’s one of the many manual therapies performed by a PT and is a safe, effective form of conservative treatment.

IASTYM is a treatment that uses plastic tools. The pressure from the tools breaks down scar tissue that creates muscle tension or restricts movement and restores function to your muscles and joints. IASTYM is an effective treatment for reducing inflammation in conditions like tendonitis and bursitis. 

Why do I need soft tissue mobilization?

Soft tissue mobilization is used to treat deeper, hard-to-target areas like deep muscle injuries or problems in the connective tissues. It helps to break down scar tissue and stimulate the formation of new, healthy tissue. Your physical therapist may perform an IASTYM technique on any number of conditions:

With these issues (and many more), soft tissue mobilization helps to relax tense muscles, stretch and lengthen connective tissues, increase flexibility and improve range of motion. However, some injuries and conditions should not receive soft tissue mobilization. Fractures, acute injuries, connective tissue disorders, osteoporosis, peripheral vascular disease, high-risk pregnancy and unstable epilepsy all pose higher risks than potential benefits.

What is soft tissue mobilization treatment like?

Each soft tissue mobilization technique is a little different:

  • The strain-counterstrain technique uses passive positioning. Your physical therapist identifies the specific pain points and holds you in that position for up to three minutes. This pushes the tissue to relax, which relieves stiffness, pain and tightness.
  • The Graston technique uses a specially-designed stainless steel tool to scrape and put pressure on your tissue. It’s often used in rehabilitation and helps to break up scar tissue. It’s also helpful in reducing low back pain and increasing range of motion in the back.
  • IASTYM is a similar treatment that uses plastic tools. The pressure from the tools breaks down scar tissue that creates muscle tension or restricts movement and restores function to your muscles and joints. ASTYM is an effective treatment for reducing inflammation in conditions like tendonitis and bursitis.
  • In manual lymphatic drainage, your PT uses specific manual hand movements that follow the lymph pathways. Through a series of light strokes, they help move lymphatic fluid and improve blood circulation. Manual lymphatic drainage helps relieve muscle soreness and swelling, headaches or migraines, congestion and stress.
  • Manual traction is a type of decompression therapy that relieves tension on the spine. It effectively treats back pain, sciatica and bulging or herniated disks. Manual traction can be gentle, with short bursts of pressure followed by stretching of the spine to relieve the pressure on the disks, or forceful with quick sudden thrusts of pressure and movement.
  • Myofascial release targets the fascia — the connective tissue that wrap, cover and support the muscles. This hands-on treatment focuses on stiff fascia that can be trigger points of pain. Because it targets the hard-to-reach tissues, it’s often called “deep tissue work” and is commonly used in massage.
  • When mobility is the main issue, cross friction is used. It’s another targeted deep tissue technique that focuses on the ligaments, tendons and deep muscles. Cross friction prevents scar tissue from forming and instead promotes the regeneration of connective tissue to aid the healing process.

To reduce the friction of a tool or even the hands, your physical therapist may use a lubricant or cream to make treatment more comfortable. 

What results will I see after IASTYM treatment?

Soft tissue mobilization can help reduce pain and inflammation while restoring range of motion and flexibility. For some conditions, you may feel immediate relief and relaxation. For others, STM may only loosen up the tissues in order to perform additional physical therapy treatments. 

Due to the pressure and friction of IASTYM treatments, you may have sore, tender muscles afterwards. Red and purple spots may also appear where the pressure was applied. Soreness is normal but anything more is a sign that your physical therapist used excessive pressure. So be sure to communicate with your PT if you feel pain, develop spots or show other signs of excessive pressure from treatment.