Abstract
BackgroundInstrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) is a commonly utilized intervention for musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. However, little is known regarding the reliability of forces applied by clinicians of different experience levels during an IASTM intervention.PurposeThe purpose of this pilot study was to assess intra-clinician reliability of IASTM force (i.e., mean normal force) during a simulated, one-handed stroke IASTM intervention across different levels of IASTM clinical experience.DesignDescriptive laboratory study.MethodsThe researchers conducted a repeated measures trial in a laboratory setting with a convenience sample of ten participants who had previously completed professional IASTM training. Participants performed 15 one-handed sweeping strokes with an IASTM instrument on a skin simulant attached to a force plate for a standardized hypothetical treatment scenario. The participants performed the treatment on two separate days, 24-48 hours apart. The researchers examined the intra-rater reliability for average (mean) normal forces using Bland-Altman (BA) plots and Coefficient of Variation (CV) values.ResultsThe BA plot results indicated all participants (professional athletic training students = 4, athletic trainers = 6; males = 5, females = 5; age = 32.60 ± 8.71 y; IASTM experience = 3.78 ± 4.10 y), except participant D (1.9N, 190g), were consistently reliable within 1N (100g) or less of force for mean differences and within the maximum limits of agreement around 3.7N (370g). Most participants’ CV scores ranged between 8 to 20% supporting reliable force application within each treatment session.ConclusionThe data indicated that IASTM trained clinicians could produce consistent forces within and across treatment sessions irrespective of clinical experience.Level of Evidence3
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