Soft tissue injuries make up a large proportion of the Physiotherapy that we see here at Great Northern Physiotherapy. These can be issues relating to the muscle, the tendon (muscle to bony attachments), ligaments (bone to bone attachments) and/or the fascia (connective tissue).There are many ways to treat soft tissue conditions including; myofascial release, trigger point release, facial abrasion techniques (FAT), TENs, heat/ ice, cupping, taping, stretching, dry needling, acupuncture and massage.
Another technique which I find very effective is Rock-blading. This is a form of Instrumental Assisted Soft tissue Mobilisation (IASTM), an advanced manual therapy technique which can be used for relieving pain and increasing tissue length and mobility (Lee et al, 2016; Coviello et al, 2017). Rock-blades are smooth contoured metal tools with several different edges and shapes that allow for better contact for differing treatment sites. This allows varied treatment covering larger surface areas like the muscle belly of the hamstrings, to smaller intricate areas like the base of the thumb. Treatment generally lasts anything from a few minutes up to 30 minutes depending on the condition, area treated and symptoms.
Rock-blades are designed specifically to provide stimulus to diverse areas of pain, providing varied pressure (whether light contact/tissue scanning or deep) to positively affect the neuromuscular system (Nagi & Mahns, 2013; Shaikh et al, 2015) . Both the friction of the tool and increased circulation locally (Loghmani & Warden, 2013; Portillo-Soto et al, 2014) causes warmth and reddening of the skin, this is a normal and desired reaction.The physiotherapist can vary pressure according to your tolerance and feedback is useful throughout treatment. You may be asked to participate in movements during your treatment session to enable your physiotherapist to access the treatment area. Occasionally people can experience some bruising and soreness during and post treatment which normally resolves quickly.
The Rock-Blades are very effective on superficial/deep manipulation of skin, adhesions and scar tissue (Ge et al, 2017), they increase healing rates of targeted tissue and increase movement in the interfacial layers (Loghmani & Warden, 2009; Ge et al, 2017). This can help throughout the body for chronic pain and sports injuries.
Although most people are suitable to receive Rock Blading as a treatment, there are some circumstances that mean the treatment is not appropriate. This includes individuals who have fragile skin, local infections, bleeding disorders, or who are taking anti-coagulation medication, your physiotherapist will be able to assess and advise whether this is an appropriate treatment modality for you.
For more information on Rock-blading, please get in touch.
To book in with Thea Boyd to be assessed for Rockblading click here.
References
Coviello, J., Kakar, R. and Reynolds, T. (2017) ‘Short-term effects of instruments-assisted soft tissue mobilisation on pain free range of motion in a weightlifter with subacromial pain syndrome,’ International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 12(1), pp. 144-154.
Ge, W., Roth, E. and Sansone, A. (2017) ‘ A quasi-experimental study on the effects of instrument assisted soft tissue mobilisation on mechanosensitive neurons,’ Journal of Physical therapy Science,’ 29(4), pp. 654-657
Lee, J., Lee., D. and Oh, J. (2016) ‘The effect of Graston technique on the pain and range of motion in patients with chronic low back pain,’ Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 28(6), pp. 1852-1855
Loghmani, M. and Warden, S. (2009) ‘Instrument assisted cross fiber massage accelerates knee ligament healing,’ Journal of Orthopaedic Sports Physical Therapy, 39(7), pp. 506-514
Loghmani, M. and Warden, S. (2013) ‘Instrument-assisted cross fiber massage increases tissue perfusion and alters microvascular morphology in the vicinity of healing knee ligaments,’ BMC Complementary Alternative Medicine, 13, pp. 240
Nagi, S. and Mahns, D. (2013) ‘C-tactile fibers contribute to cutaneous allodynia after eccentric exercise,’ Journal of pain, 14(5), pp. 538-548
Portillo-Soto, A., Eberman, L. and Demchak, T. (2014) ‘Comparison of blood flow changes with soft tissue mobilisation and massage therapy,’ Journal of Alternative Complementary Medicine, 20(12), pp. 932-936
Shaikh, S., Nagi, S. and McGlone, F. (2015) ‘Psychophysical investigations into the role of low-threshold c-fibres in non-painful affective processing and pain modulation,’ PLoS ONE, 10(9): e0138299. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0138299