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EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Much of the pain from Astym depends upon how much fibrous scarring you have around your bones, joints, tendons, and ligaments; scar tissue which developed during the initial inflammation phase of your original healing. When your limb is immobilized during healing (like after a bone break or surgery), the body lays-down that scar tissue somewhat randomly in order to protect itself, resulting in less than optimal healing. Whereas, if your limb is mobile during healing (like with a deep bruise or a stress fracture), the scar tissue is laid down more directionally and purposefully with regard to function, resulting in much more optimal healing. So the point of Astym is to break-up that random scar tissue and re-stimulate the inflammation process. Essentially, Astym re-injures the soft tissue (hence, the pain) so you can start healing again; this time WITH motion and function in the limb.

The first treatment is by far the most painful, and the pain usually reduces with each visit. It's VERY important to drink LOTS of water and keep doing ALL of your stretching and strengthening exercises so your circulation can move the broken-up fibrous tissue out of the area. Standard treatment varies from 2 to 3 times a week over a 6 to 9 week period. Toward the end, joint mobilizations, stretching, and strengthening will become more painful than the Astym as you try to get back those last few millimeters of range in your joints. Many healthy, uninjured athletes (runners, MMA fighters, football players, etc) like to receive Astym as a regular part of training or after a high-intensity competition/event.

In full disclosure, some therapists believe that joint mobilization, exercises, and water, alone (without Astym), will yield similar healing results, over about the same of time, without the intense pain.

Personally, I had two big, ugly knuckles for 8 months after breaking a finger - scar tissue clung to the ligaments and cartilage. I couldn't fully flex or extend that finger, and I also couldn't spread my fingers as wide as I used to, due to the build-up of all that scar tissue. Along with being painful, the knobby knuckles also created a lot of weakness because they changed the normal line of pull for the tendons. I had Astym applied twice a week for 9 weeks and experienced a complete, full recovery, both functionally and aesthetically. I won't lie, though, the very first treatment was some of the most intense pain I've ever felt! But as long as you know what Astym is doing and why (and also knowing it will be over in just a few minutes!), it makes the pain much more tolerable.

I recommend it.

March 31, 2015 - 3:06am

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