Recent Advances on Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM)

Background: This Chapter aims to show the effects of IASTM various musculoskeletal disorders. It is the part of manual therapy technique. Various types of instruments are used to treat muscle pathologies and musculoskeletal conditions. The effect of this tool is unclear to understand. Evidences suggest that applying this with combination of the techniques helps in lessening the symptoms. Methods: A search of the articles were conducted between they years of  2014 and  2022 with electronic data base: PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PEDroand Web of science. The keywords were included were instrument; assisted; augmented; soft-tissue; mobilization; traditional technique. Results: Total thirteen articles were taken. Which were case reports, pilot studies, cross control studies, experimental studies and randomized controlled trials. Conclusion: A positive effect of IASTM technique in different muscle pathology and musculoskeletal conditions were seen. It is effective in improving range of motion of joints and reduce pain.