Ge Weiqing, Roth Emily, Sansone Alyssa
Department of Physical Therapy, Youngstown State University, USA.
J Phys Ther Sci. 2017 Apr;29(4):654-657. doi: 10.1589/jpts.29.654. Epub 2017 Apr 20.
[Purpose] Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) is a form of manual therapy. Despite its growing popularity and an increasing number of patients receiving IASTM each year, there is a lack of high-level evidence to elucidate its therapeutic mechanisms and to support its clinical applications. The purpose of this research project was to determine the effects of IASTM on activities of mechanosensitive neurons in skin. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-three subjects, 9 females and 14 males, mean age 25.7 (SD 6.4) years old were recruited through a convenience sampling on the university campus. The study design was a quasi-experimental study using single group pretest-posttest design. The activities of mechanosensitive neurons were measured before and after the application of IASTM. [Results] The mean 2-point discrimination was 40.2 (SD 9.4) mm before IASTM and increased to 44.9 (SD 12.0) mm after IASTM. The increase was statistically significant pre and post IASTM. The mean pain threshold was 18.2 (SD 6.6) lb and increased slightly to 18.7 (SD 6.8) lb after IASTM; however, no statistical significance was found pre and post IASTM. [Conclusion] The data indicates that IASTM changes the neural activities in 2-point discrimination but not in pain threshold.
[目的] 器械辅助软组织松动术（IASTM）是一种手法治疗形式。尽管其越来越受欢迎，且每年接受IASTM治疗的患者数量不断增加，但缺乏高级别证据来阐明其治疗机制并支持其临床应用。本研究项目的目的是确定IASTM对皮肤中机械敏感神经元活动的影响。[对象与方法] 通过在大学校园进行便利抽样，招募了23名受试者，其中9名女性和14名男性，平均年龄25.7（标准差6.4）岁。研究设计为准实验研究，采用单组前后测设计。在应用IASTM之前和之后测量机械敏感神经元的活动。[结果] 在IASTM之前，平均两点辨别觉为40.2（标准差9.4）毫米，在IASTM之后增加到44.9（标准差12.0）毫米。IASTM前后的增加具有统计学意义。平均疼痛阈值为18.2（标准差6.6）磅，在IASTM之后略有增加至18.7（标准差6.8）磅；然而，IASTM前后未发现统计学意义。[结论] 数据表明，IASTM改变了两点辨别觉中的神经活动，但未改变疼痛阈值。
