IASTM therapy (instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilisation)

IASTM — Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization. The practitioner moves the smooth rounded edge of a blade over the skin, varying the direction and the contact area, watching the person’s response and testing a chosen movement before and after the work.

Two practical modules of two days each. How to pick the edge of the blade for a given area, how to control pressure, and what has changed when the person repeats the movement — participants learn to answer these questions during the practice itself.

Who it suits

Osteopaths, manual therapists, physical rehabilitation specialists, massage therapists, trainers and students in related fields. The paired exercises require a grounding in anatomy: students work under the teacher’s supervision, while trainers learn movement assessment and work with load within the limits of their own qualification.

Module 1. Upper body and trunk

Two days, 15 hours of teaching. Areas of practice: neck, shoulders and shoulder girdle, chest, thoracic spine and back, low back, abdominal muscles and lower abdomen.

• Day 1. The basis of the method, surface anatomy, instrument shapes and edges, history-taking, consent, contraindications and hygiene. Practice: grip and contact, setting pressure, direction and stroke length; shoulder girdle and the back of the shoulder; thoracic spine and back with a short movement test before and after.
• Day 2. Choosing the task and the re-test, the limits of working on the neck, chest and abdomen. Practice: neck and shoulders — accessible soft tissue only, no pressure on the front of the neck; the chest; abdominal muscles, lower abdomen and low back; a final practical run-through.

Module 2. Lower limbs

Two days, 15 hours of teaching. Areas of practice: hip region and gluteal muscles, thigh, knee, calf, ankle, foot and toes.

• Day 3. Surface anatomy of the lower limb, choosing technique and exercise, contraindications, choosing a repeatable test. Practice: grip, pressure and direction of the instrument; hip region and gluteal muscles; thigh and knee, swapping roles.
• Day 4. Choosing a functional task and tests for the calf, ankle and foot, and the signs that mean stopping. Practice: calf; ankle and foot with the knee-to-wall test; foot and toes; final practical, recording the result and going through mistakes.

Working method: how to run a trial

• Choose a baseline. Ask which movement feels stiff. In the knee-to-wall test, for instance, measure the distance from the big toe to the wall and note the side and the sensation on a 0–10 scale.
• Choose the instrument. A straight wide edge gives extended contact, a concave edge suits a rounded contour, a convex one a small area. The edge must be smooth and free of chips.
• Compare techniques. Light lengthwise gliding, short crosswise passes, fan-shaped changes of direction. Change one parameter at a time and keep asking how it feels.
• Check the response. Stop after a short trial, look at the skin, repeat the baseline test. With increasing pain, numbness, burning or pinpoint bleeding, work on that area stops.
• Carry the result into movement. Offer an active movement for the same task and compare comfort and range. If there is no meaningful change, reconsider the task.

Indications, limits and safety

A separate block of the programme covers when the method fits, when a session is postponed and the person referred for medical assessment, and which areas and materials are ruled out. We go through fever and acute infection, suspected fracture, thrombosis or tissue infection, open wounds and fresh bruises, allergy to metal or the contact medium, anticoagulants and a tendency to bleeding, osteoporosis, altered sensation, recent surgery, cancer and pregnancy.

Hygiene between participants is practised too: hand cleaning, removing the contact medium, disinfection with a compatible agent for the correct contact time, and a clean portion of cream for each person.

Powered blade station

A separate station covers the modern powered blade with heating, vibration and an electrical mode: where the switch is, what the modes mean, how to stop immediately, how to clean the device. We go through when heating is ruled out (reduced temperature sensation, impaired circulation, acute inflammation) and when the electrical mode is (a pacemaker or other electronic implant, pregnancy, arrhythmia, epilepsy).

The device settings used on the seminar are teaching material, not a prescription for a patient.

Assessment of skills

A final practical task on two teaching scenarios: restricted ankle movement after training, and a painful one-sided swelling of the calf, where the right answer is to stop the practice and refer for urgent medical assessment.

• obtains consent and identifies risk factors;
• carries out the baseline and repeat test reproducibly;
• chooses a safe area and controls the contact;
• responds to a stop signal and records the result.

Format

Each module runs over two days, 15 clock hours: about 3 hours of theory and 12 of practice. The full programme of two modules is four days, 30 hours: 20% theory and 80% practice. Work in pairs with roles swapped, teaching scenarios and an individual demonstration of skills. Taught by Yurij Akbash (Dr. Boicov).

Dates and price are being confirmed — send an enquiry and we will share the details as soon as booking opens. The seminar extends a practitioner’s toolkit within the limits of their qualification and does not replace basic professional education.