What Is IASTM and How Does It Help With Muscle and Tendon Problems?

If you have spent time around physical therapists, athletic trainers, or a CrossFit gym, you may have seen someone scraping a stainless steel tool along an athlete’s forearm or calf. That is IASTM, short for instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization. You may also have heard it called “scraping,” or by brand names like Graston Technique.

I am certified in IASTM through RockTape, and I use it regularly at Move Chiropractic in Angier. The IASTM service page gives a quick overview. This post answers the questions patients actually ask me: what it does, what it helps, what it feels like, and when it is not a good idea.

What IASTM Is

IASTM uses smooth-edged tools, usually stainless steel, to apply pressure and gliding strokes to muscles, tendons, and the connective tissue around them. A lotion or emollient lets the tool move over the skin. The tools come in different shapes so they can follow the contour of a forearm, the bottom of a foot, or the edge of the shoulder blade.

In some ways it is a hands-on soft tissue technique with a tool doing part of the work. The tool does two things my hands cannot do as well. It lets me treat a precise area along a tendon, and the vibration through the metal helps me feel texture changes in the tissue as I work.

How IASTM Works

You will often hear that IASTM “breaks up scar tissue.” That explanation is popular, but it oversimplifies what is happening. The more accurate picture has a few parts:

• It stimulates the tissue. Controlled pressure on a tendon or muscle creates a mild, local response that can encourage the tissue to remodel, especially when it is followed by loading through exercise.

• It changes how the area feels. IASTM stimulates nerve endings in the skin and soft tissue, which can reduce pain and muscle guarding in the short term. That window of reduced pain and better motion is when exercise works best.

• It improves how tissue layers glide. After an injury or a long stretch of overuse, layers of soft tissue can feel stiff or “stuck.” IASTM often improves that sense of glide and range of motion right away.

The key point is that IASTM works best as part of a plan, not on its own. It prepares the tissue, and the exercises that follow are what make the change last.

Muscle and Tendon Problems IASTM Helps

IASTM is most useful for tendon problems and soft tissue that has become stiff or irritated from overuse. The problems I use it for most often include:

• Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow: irritated tendons on the outside or inside of the elbow. The elbow pain page covers these in more detail.

• Plantar fascia pain: heel and arch pain that is worst with the first steps in the morning

• Achilles tendon pain: common in runners and in people who suddenly increase activity

• Patellar tendon pain: pain just below the kneecap in jumpers, runners, and squatters. See the knee pain page.

• Rotator cuff irritation: an overloaded cuff, alongside shoulder blade and mid back work. See the rotator cuff pain page and my post on shoulder pain in Angier.

• Lateral thigh and hip tightness: often blamed on the IT band in runners and cyclists. See the hip pain page.

• Hamstring and calf strains: once the initial injury has settled and the tissue needs help regaining normal motion

• Old, healed scars: stiff tissue around a fully healed surgical scar, once your surgeon has cleared you

Many of these show up in active people. The sports injury treatment page covers athletic injuries more broadly.

What IASTM Feels Like

Most people describe it as a firm scraping pressure, somewhere between a deep massage and a foam roller. Irritated or stiff areas feel more tender than healthy tissue, which is part of how I find the problem spots. I adjust the pressure based on your feedback, and treatment should never be more than you can tolerate.

A few normal things to expect:

• Redness during and after treatment. This usually fades within a few hours.

• Small red dots or mild bruising in some people. These are called petechiae. I do not try to cause bruising, and with the right pressure most patients have little or none.

• Mild soreness for a day or two, similar to the soreness after a new workout

Keep moving afterward and do your home exercises as prescribed. If an area feels worse rather than sore, call or text so I can check in.

Who Should Not Have IASTM

IASTM is not right for everyone or every area. I avoid it, or use it only after medical clearance, if you have:

• Blood thinners or a bleeding disorder

• Open wounds, healing incisions, or skin infections in the area

• A suspected or known blood clot, or significant varicose veins in the area

• A recent fracture or a surgical repair that has not fully healed

• Active cancer in or near the treatment area

• Skin conditions or fragile skin that would be irritated by the tool

Tell me about your medications and health history at your first visit. If IASTM is not a good fit, there are other ways to treat the same problem.

Why IASTM Is Always Paired With Exercise

Tendons get stronger and less painful when they are loaded gradually. No tool, technique, or adjustment replaces that. When I use IASTM on a sore Achilles or an irritated elbow, it is almost always followed by a specific exercise for that tendon, either in the office or as part of your home program.

The therapeutic stretching and exercises you leave with are just as important as the treatment itself. Patients who skip the exercises tend to feel better for a few days and then plateau. Patients who do them tend to keep improving.

How IASTM Fits With My Other Treatments

IASTM is one tool among several, and I choose based on what the exam shows:

• Dry needling is better for deep trigger points and muscle guarding that IASTM cannot reach. My post on dry needling near Angier explains how it works.

• Soft tissue and muscle therapy covers hands-on techniques like pin and stretch, which work well for larger muscle groups.

• Cupping therapy lifts and decompresses tissue rather than pressing into it.

• Extremity adjustments restore motion to stiff joints, like an ankle that limits how your Achilles and calf move.

A sore elbow might get IASTM along the tendon, dry needling in the forearm muscles, and a strengthening exercise in the same visit. The combination usually works better than any single tool.

IASTM vs. Foam Rolling and Massage Guns

Foam rollers and massage guns are useful for general tightness and warming up. IASTM is different in two ways. It is far more precise, so I can work along a specific section of a tendon instead of a whole muscle.

And it is guided by an exam, so it is used on the tissue that is actually driving your pain rather than wherever it feels tight. Keep using your foam roller at home if it helps; IASTM in the office is a different tool for a more specific job.

Why Patients Come to Move Chiropractic for IASTM

Move Chiropractic is a one-doctor practice, so you see me at every visit, not an assistant, not whoever is available. Every new patient starts with a thorough movement assessment, so IASTM is only used when it fits what I find. If you are new, my post on what to expect at your first chiropractic appointment walks through the first visit.

I am certified in IASTM, blood flow restriction therapy, and cupping through RockTape, and I am certified in dry needling. Before opening Move Chiropractic, I practiced at a rehab-focused clinic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with roughly 10,000 patient visits. You can read more about Dr. David Carter’s background.

There are also a few things Move Chiropractic does not offer: laser therapy, shockwave therapy, and traction. If I think one of those would help you, I will tell you and point you to someone who provides it.

IASTM FAQs

Is IASTM the same as Graston Technique?

Graston Technique is one brand of IASTM, with its own tools and training program. IASTM is the general term for the approach. The tools and training vary, but the principles are the same. My certification is through RockTape.

Does IASTM hurt?

It can be uncomfortable over irritated tissue, but it should not be painful beyond what you can tolerate. I adjust the pressure as I go, and most patients describe it as a firm, scraping pressure.

How many IASTM sessions will I need?

It depends on the problem. Many people notice better motion or less pain after the first session. Tendon problems usually take several weeks of combined treatment and exercise, because tendons adapt slowly. You will get an honest timeline at your first visit, and there are no long-term contracts required on day one.

Will IASTM leave bruises?

Some people get redness or small red dots that fade within a few days. Heavy bruising is not the goal. If you bruise easily or take a blood thinner, tell me before treatment.

Can I work out after IASTM?

Usually, yes. Light activity and your prescribed exercises are encouraged. If the area feels tender, I may suggest scaling back a hard training session that day.

Does insurance cover IASTM?

Coverage depends on your plan. Move Chiropractic can verify your chiropractic benefits; the New Patients page lists the insurance plans that are in network.

Schedule a Visit in Angier

If a tendon or muscle problem has been hanging around for weeks, IASTM may be part of the answer, and the exam will tell us whether it fits. Move Chiropractic is located at 149A Logan Ct, Suite A, in Angier and sees patients Monday through Friday by appointment.

Patients come from Angier, Fuquay-Varina, Lillington, Willow Springs, Coats, Benson, Erwin, and Buies Creek.

To schedule, visit the New Patients page, or call or text (984) 355-3587. For a quick overview of the service, see the IASTM service page.