Let’s face it. If you are an athlete (no matter what the level), you most likely have been injured in the past. The longer you have been an athlete, the higher the probability that you have been injured more than once. There’s also a good chance that many of you continue to re-injure the same body part time and time again in a seemingly endless cycle. So what gives? Let’s say you roll your ankle and incur a severe sprain while playing soccer. You rest, you ice, you compress, you elevate, you stretch, you strengthen and you return to sport. Maybe it’s a year later, maybe it’s 6-months, maybe it is 6 days later but the pattern of injury recovery and injury continues. To say the least, this pattern can be very frustrating. But, what if there was a solution? What if you could significantly reduce the chance of injury if not nearly eliminate it? A big part of the solution is SASTM.
So what is SASTM?
Technically speaking, SASTM is an acronym for Sound Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization. It is a form of instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization whereby specially designed instruments made of a highly resonant ceramic polymer are utilized by a trained clinician to literally break-up tissue restrictions in injured muscles tendons and ligaments. Because the instruments are made of such a rigid material, when moved across the surface of injured (read rough calcified and fibrotic) tissue they transmit sound waves through the instrument that are then felt by the clinician. In this way, the instruments act much like a stethoscope allowing the clinician to accurately detect and treat abberant tissue.
By carefully grading the pressure and direction of tissue mobilization, the clinician introduces ‘controlled microtrauma’ to the affected tissue. This then stimulates an inflammatory response and a subsequent cascade that sets the stage for tissue revascularization, tissue remodeling, and ultimately tissue healing.
The main reason this technique works better than other more conventional techniques is that it actually frees up restrictions (scar tissue long-standing adhesions tendonosis) in the muscles, tendons and ligaments allowing movement that is biomechanically correct. In the end, this translates to fewer injuries and re-injuries which means you stay healthy and you stay in the game. One added benefit that is certainly worth mentioning is that your performance could actually improve after having received SASTM treatment.
As a physical therapist who is certified in SASTM, I can say that this form of treatment has enhanced my ability to get athletes back to sport quickly and safely and keep them there. No other single form of treatment even comes close.