Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization the poor man's way

I've seen many videos of therapist performing IASTM- instrument assisted soft tissue mobilisation and always wanted to try out. I've tried gua sha in china before and it really hurts so i do not want to experience it again furthermore the concept behind is different. However i can't find a IASTM provider in KL yet so i decided to just grab something from the kitchen and try on my own.

There are many IASTM tools available on the market made with different material, usually stainless steel costs the most. IASTM can be use in two different ways or modalities. First the instrument breaksdown fascia restriction and scar tissue. It causes improved blood flow and microtrauma to the localised area stimulating inflammation. The control microtrauma will remodel the soft tissue structure through resorption of fibrosis or scar tissue along with repair and regeneration of collagen. The second less known modal is by causing neurological changes/response. This model uses less force compare to former and it changes the tone & plasticity of the tissue from stiff to relax.

All that being said i went to my kitchen in search for a stainless steel tool to perform my soft tissue manipulation. And voila the best kitchen utensil i found perfect for the job. There are 4 edges which i can use 1) i use it to scan for fibrosis or scar tissue, you could feel the quality of tissue as you rub in against your skin, you know is fibrosis/scar tissue when you feel or hear crunchy sound along your skin. Healthy skin tissue is supposed to be smooth without restriction. 2) There is a curve to have more skin contact compare to location 1. 3) you have many edges i find it easy to use on knee tendon,  sternocleidomastoid due to its shape and angle. Pretty much you can use this on every body part to get in deeper or more specific. 4) I use it to get really intricate parts but basically somehow similiar to part 3.

To start off you need to apply lotion to the target muscle so your tool can glide but not too much that it losses grip. Today is the first time and I've tried on my quads, hamstring, tibialis muscle, tendons surrounding the patella, pec major & pec minor, upper traps, scalene and scm. As you can see from the picture, i did get some 'petechiae'  bruising of the skin on my chest and traps. Some people would say thats a chronic tissue problem which has been there for some time, some just say is overuse of force causing bruise or some say the tissue is more tone and tone(contracted/stiff) tissue resist scrapping so its easier to break the superficial capillaries. I don't know what it is but the force i use is pretty much uniform and is not strong at all. What i did feel is i feel lighter and softer at the affected areas. In comparison to foam rolling, the effect i feel pretty much the same on quads (maybe foam rolling is better). However it is hard to foam roll the chest,traps and neck muscle but i still did with trigger point ball, however usually during foam rolling i feel soreness throughout the duration but it is less with this kitchen tools. 

In conclusion this kitchen tool has provided me with a better way to target areas where foam rolling couldn't or is difficult to have control over the force & direction, I'm glad i try IASTM cause its definitely helpful, might consider getting the real deal soon (or not).