In one of my recent blogs about kinesiology tape, I mentioned Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM). You can find my blog on kinesiology tape here: http://stores.StarfyreInc.com/Blog/Kinesiology-Tape/. I had two different patients ask me if I did IASTM by a certain brand. That brand has its own instruments and I had heard a little about it, but didn’t really know what it was besides using instruments to massage. I started doing research and asking around because it didn’t sound like it was something comfortable. I constantly heard about how deep the technique was and how much bruising was left behind.

I wasn’t comfortable with that.

I don’t want to hurt people and I definitely don’t want to leave marks on anyone. It may happen on occasion, but it’s never something I consciously try to do. Originally, I thought these tools would be a great way to get deeper work done on my clients. I found that the company that I wanted to take the kinesiology taping course from offered classes on IASTM, As I did more research on the tools and the classes from this company, I realized that their model wasn’t about causing bleeding, bruising, or discomfort. These classes could teach me to help people with less discomfort.

The tools look scary. I’m just going to start off with that and throw it out there. They look like I’m going to beat someone with them. I think that’s actually hilarious, because as I said before the technique is not harsh at all! Much like kinesiology taping, these tools help bring awareness to the areas being worked. There are so many things that these tools can help with including nerve entrapment, movement dysfunction, and pain reduction. Specializing in pain management, this was right up my alley.

These tools can be used all over the body including the face for things like TMJ syndrome. I always ask to be one of the models that the instructor demonstrates on because I want to FEEL what it’s supposed to be like. I was so surprised to feel how soft the technique is. As soft as this technique is, it is SO effective. Some of the classmates I talked with that had taken the class both days said that they did feel some soreness the second day.

Not only was I impressed with how light the technique is, I was also impressed by how quickly it worked. These tools are used for 1-3 minutes on an area. That’s all the time that it takes for there to be an effect on the area.

We did different activities to test how aware and sensitive we were of certain areas on our bodies. On the areas where we felt little to no sensitivity, we used the tools and then tested again. In under 3 minutes, the sensitivity in the area that was worked on increased! In other activities, our movement and flexibility increased after being worked on. I really couldn’t believe how much of a change there was after only a few minutes of such light work.

If you’ve ever been too afraid of trying IASTM because of what you’ve seen or heard, contact your body worker and ask questions. Ask about their tools, techniques, what your expectations are, what training they have. My goal is to help you not only feel better, but move better. In order for that to happen, I need for you to put in the work yourself and to be comfortable with me and my techniques. I can’t expect you to trust me if you’re afraid of what tools I use. As I said, these tools do not look fun. However, they can help. These tools and techniques pair great with not only kinesiology taping, but with my manual therapies. If you have any questions, want to know more, or want to know how to find someone that does the techniques I do, feel free to comment below.