Between your muscles, skin, and bones, there is a connective tissue called fascia. Fascia not only surrounds individual muscles, but also helps connect one muscle to another. It allows for stability and flexibility of muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, etc. Over time, this fascia can become disoriented and cause restriction in muscle’s slide and glide. This limits the function and range of motion of muscles and adjacent joints. This is where IASTM can be useful!

 

IASTM uses a stainless steel blade to loosen, stretch, and pull these fibrous adhesions within the fascia. This is done by scraping along the muscle belly or even perpendicular to tendons and ligaments. Through the use of IASTM, you are not only increasing blood flow to the region to help accelerate healing, but you are increasing the number of fibroblasts that help build the extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM is what is responsible for repairing soft tissues, creating collagen, and remodeling unorganized collagen fibers. 

 

In addition to the physiological benefits of IASTM, there are also neurological benefits. As the stainless steel blade is used against a muscle, it stimulates mechanoreceptors. These are receptors in your muscles and joints that help communicate with the brain. By increasing mechanoreceptor stimulation, you subsequently decrease nociceptors. These are the receptors that signal pain. Less pain, more function, means you can get back to doing what you love!