Meet today's guest bloggers:



Dr. Terry Gebhardt, PT, DPT
Dr. Gebhardt completed his Master of Physical Therapy at the U.S. Army-Baylor University Graduate Program in 1998. During Dr. Gebhardt's 7 years of physical therapy practice in the Army he specialized in treating a broad range of musculoskeletal injuries. He has worked extensively with injury prevention initiatives and has been a leader in the development of training programs designed to maximize fitness while preventing injury. Dr. Gebhardt...

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Dr. Timothy W. Flynn, PT, PhD
Dr. Flynn is board certified in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy (OCS), a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT), and a frequent research presenter at state, national, and international meetings. Dr. Flynn is widely published including 5 textbooks, 6 book chapters, over 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts on orthopaedics, biomechanics, and manual therapy issues. He was the editor and author of The Thoracic...

ASTYM treatment is a physical therapy treatment that regenerates healthy soft tissues (muscles, tendons, etc.), and eliminates or reduces unwanted scar tissue that may be causing pain or movement restrictions.

ASTYM treatment is highly effective for restoring movement and reducing pain from soft tissue injury/dysfunction, and ASTYM even works when other approaches routinely fail.  One of the main reasons for this is that ASTYM was designed to target the underlying cause of many soft tissue...

Meet today's guest bloggers:



Dr. Timothy W. Flynn, PT, PhD
Dr. Flynn is board certified in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy (OCS), a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT), and a frequent research presenter at state, national, and international meetings. Dr. Flynn is widely published including 5 textbooks, 6 book chapters, over 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts on orthopaedics, biomechanics, and manual therapy issues. He was the editor and author of The Thoracic...

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Maureen Scanlan, OTR/L, CHT works at St. Croix Orthopaedics in Stillwater Minnesota as the lead hand therapist.  She has 33 years of experience as a therapist, 20 of those specializing in hand therapy.  Her work experience includes Mental Health/Chemical Dependency, Cardiac Rehab, Industrial rehab, Ergonomics, and Hand Therapy.  Maureen has a BA from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN.  She has been a Certified Hand Therapist since 2003.

Twenty years as a...

Soft tissue mobilization (STM) is a very broad term. It can include all types of manipulating or “mobilizing” soft tissue in an effort to decrease pain and improve movement. Recently, tools have been added to soft tissue mobilization which is called IASTM or Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (Graston, St3 Fuzion, etc. are brands of IASTM). The goal of instrumented STMs, or IASTM, is clear and simple: to mechanically break apart adhesions.

Rather than simply mobilizing tissue (STM), or...

Many women experience scarring, adhesions and/or contractures which restrict movement after they receive surgery/radiation for breast cancer. Often, women suffer needlessly with this restricted movement because they are unaware that there is treatment available to eliminate scar tissue and restore normal movement.

A clinical research study just published in Rehabilitation Oncology, the official journal of the oncology section of the American Physical Therapy Association, documents how ASTYM treatm...

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Noel Tenoso, PT, DPT, OCS practices in the Portland, Oregon area and owns 2 clinics, Advance Sports & Spine Therapy. He has certifications in manual therapy and Mechanical Diagnostic Therapy with the McKenzie Institute. Both clinics have met the criteria of being certified McKenzie Clinics. He has been certified with ASTYM since 2005.

Pain in the front of the knee is very common in many types of sports that are associated with quick stops, starts, changes in...

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Gus Gutierrez, PT, OCS, FAAOMPT
Gus is an owner of and serves as clinical director of BRPT-Lake, a multi-clinic private practice located in and around Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that specializes in the treatment of orthopedic patients and sports-related injuries. He received his Orthopedic Certified Specialization distinction in 1994 and then again in 2004. He is certified as a Level 2 Manual Therapist and is Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical...

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Suzie Freeman, MPT, OCS
Suzie works as a Senior Physical Therapist at California Rehabilitation and Sports Physical Therapy in Huntington Beach, California. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and then moved on to the University of Southern California for her Masters in Physical Therapy.  Suzie is the Center Coordinator for Clinical Education, as well as a Clinical Instructor, taking physical therapy...

Meet today’s Guest Blogger:

Suzie Freeman, MPT, OCS
Suzie works as a Senior Physical Therapist at California Rehabilitation and Sports Physical Therapy in Huntington Beach, California. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and then moved on to the University of Southern California for her Masters in Physical Therapy.  Suzie is the Center Coordinator for Clinical Education, as well as a Clinical Instructor, taking physical therapy students...

A controlled clinical trial showing the effectiveness of ASTYM treatment for tennis elbow was presented at the American Society for Surgery of the Hand's annual meeting.  The study showed that ASTYM treatment was an effective tennis elbow therapy by resolving 78.3% of chronic lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) cases.  This figure is consistent with the 80.9% resolution rate for chronic lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) that was contemporaneously reported in the national outcomes database...

At its core, ASTYM treatment was developed from solid basic science research to stimulate regeneration at a cellular level.  Following that, there were a number of case studies published and then a randomized controlled clinical trial on patellar tendinopathy.  A large randomized controlled clinical trial on lateral epicondylosis was awarded a platform presentation at the American Society for Surgery of the Hand’s national meeting, and is now being submitted for publication (for more information...

Meet today's guest blogger:



Stephanie Penny, PT, DPT

Stephanie practices at Lakeshore Sports Physical Therapy in Chicago, Illinois. She earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Central Michigan University in 2008. She has a special interest in sports medicine and vestibular rehabilitation, has completed coursework in manual therapy, and is a certified ASTYM® provider. Stephanie is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association.

Elite runners alternate between intensive...

There is a significant difference between ASTYM treatment and instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) techniques, such as Graston®, Sastm and other tooled friction massage.

Although ASTYM treatment evolved from research on manual therapies, including friction massage, it is very different than friction massage, and its variation, tooled friction massage. Tooled friction massage is often referred to as instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization or IASTM, and is also referred to by...

ASTYM treatment is a regenerative therapy provided by specially trained (and certified) physical and occupational therapists.  Instruments are applied topically (on top of the skin) to locate dysfunctional (unhealthy) soft tissue, and to transfer pressure and shear forces to the underlying soft tissue structures.  The protocols, the force, and direction of the treatment induce a healing/regenerative response in tendons, muscles, and other soft tissue structures.  ASTYM treatment stimulates...

Over time, internal scar tissue or adhesions can build up in your joints, muscles, tendons, and soft tissues.  It can be caused by working your body too much, injury (such as sprains, strains and trauma), surgery, disease, or just by moving and not being in absolute perfect physical condition or having perfect “form” when you move.  Stiffness and many of the aches and pains that we have after reaching a “certain age” are due to the build up of internal scar tissue and adhesions.  ASTYM...