Adventures in Physical Therapy-ASTYM

Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity. -Hippocrates

How many times have I said it before? I have the world's BEST physical therapists. I know, I know -because my leg is finally healing I'm all biased and happy.... and "best" might sound like a bit of an over-exaggeration. I may not have been saying this 3 weeks ago when I was still moping around the house whispering curses under my breath about my IT band and patellofemoral pain. But whatever, I still think they're awesome.

So the newest thing at the best physical therapy clinic on the planet is  a process called ASTYM. ASTYM stands for "a stimulation” of the body’s healing response, which results in the remodeling/resorption of scar tissue and the regeneration of degenerated tendons. " according to the website. 

Let's be honest. I'm really willing to try anything at this point.  I'm ready to cut my IT band in half...But before I do anything too drastic I gave some alternative massage a try. The idea origionated after one particularly dreadful experience on the Alter-G My leg was done "hurting" but in reality I hadn't done any type of weight-bearing activity in weeks. Everything from my toes to my butt was tight and sore, as though I was being punished by my body for shocking it into running again. My evil IT band saw my weakness as an opportunity to strike again and immediately after the run became so tight that instead of PF syndrome coming back my biggest worry turned to re-developing IT band syndrome instead!

After one of the therapists heard that he asked me if I'd be up for trying something a little different, but that may help more than just stretching alone. That's how I was introduced to ASTYM. I've had massages and ultrasounds and stimulation therapy and ice and heat and even deep tissue massages. But this was something very different from anything else I've ever tried. 

ASTYM is a little scary at first. It consists of plastic tools which kind of resemble those things you use in the winter to scrape ice off your car. Only instead of scraping ice they're used to fix your degenerative tendons. In my case they're used to iron-out a few stubborn bumps in your IT band so that my knee moves up and down like it's supposed to instead of diagonally. 

The therapist starts out but putting coco butter on the affected area. Treatment that fixes my IT band AND my dry over-chlorinated skin? yes please. 

Next he (or she) runs the plastic ice-scraper things up and down your legs. It's not necessarily "painful" but it does feel kind of strange. The areas that have scar tissue or degeneration feel kind of bumpy when the tools go over them. So in theory this stimulation, in connection with stretching and strengthening exercises (HIP EXERCISES!!!) is supposed to make the healing process super speedy. 

I give this technique two thumbs way up. Though I was skeptical at first I haven't had any pain while running since my first treatment with ASTYM. I would most defiantly recommend it to anyone who's combating any sort of tendon or muscle issue.

Healing, is a strange and complicated process. It takes a lot of patience and hard work and rest all at the same time. Sometimes, when none of that works you may want to try ironing out your tendons with a windshield scraper.