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Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM)

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Restore movement, reduce pain, and speed recovery with our expert care. We use instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization in Naperville to target tension, break down scar tissue, and improve mobility.Action Chiropractic and Sports Injury Center’s hands-on approach helps you return to your daily activities stronger and more resilient, so you can keep living life without limits.

What is IASTM?

Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) is a targeted, evidence-based approach designed to restore proper movement and reduce pain. Using specialized tools, we apply a controlled, precise soft tissue technique to address restrictions, scar tissue, and adhesions that limit mobility. This process stimulates the body’s natural healing response, encouraging better circulation and tissue regeneration.

With IASTM therapy, we can treat a wide range of conditions, from sports injuries to chronic muscle tightness, helping you move more freely and recover faster. We tailor each session to your unique needs, ensuring effective, results-driven care. Whether you are aiming to get back to your favorite sport, improve daily function, or prevent future injuries, IASTM offers a powerful path toward lasting relief and improved performance.

How Does IASTM Work?

We glide specialized stainless-steel tools across the surface of your skin, targeting scar tissue and fascial restrictions with precision and care. The advanced soft tissue technique sparks a controlled healing response by boosting blood flow, easing inflammation, and guiding your body’s natural tissue remodeling.
Action Chiropractic integrates this treatment seamlessly into our proven process. From thorough diagnostic assessment to tailored recovery strategies, we ensure every step aligns with your goals of mobility, pain relief, and strength.
With IASTM therapy, we unlock layers of tension, encourage freer motion, and help you reclaim comfortable, confident movement. Are you pushing toward peak athletic performance or simply striving to move without limits? Schedule an IASTM physical therapy appointment with us today and transform stiffness into fluid, functional motion.

What Is Included In IASTM?

We begin every IASTM session with a thorough evaluation that reveals your body’s unique areas of restriction, scar tissue, or muscular tightness. Our experts then apply precision-crafted stainless steel instruments to glide along your skin in deliberate strokes.
These tools break down adhesion, restore tissue elasticity, and pave the way for renewed movement. We weave these IASTM therapy methods into a larger treatment framework that reflects our signature blend of alignment, soft tissue care, and comprehensive rehabilitation. It’s much more than a tool-assisted treatment. You are getting a carefully choreographed healing experience.

Inside each IASTM session, you engage with:

  • Targeted instrument strokesthat focus on stubborn areas.
  • Complementary chiropractic adjustmentsto enhance alignment and functional balance
  • Movement retrainingto reinforce newly liberated motion patterns.

Customized home exercises that support long-term healing and resilience.

Each session finishes with intentional guidance, sharing clarity about what improved and how to extend that benefit through your daily routine. When working with IASTM for muscle injuries, we don’t just relieve pain. We rebuild strength, restore fluidity, and give you the tools to stay in motion.
Let us help you transform tension into effortless function.

Why Is IASTM Commonly Used For?

Action Chiropractic delivers the best Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization in Naperville because it unlocks motion, alleviates persistent pain, and seamlessly fits into our comprehensive recovery approach.
We have designed this powerful method into our proven service protocols by blending it with chiropractic alignment, dry needling, and corrective movement strategies.to bring relief that lasts.

We leverage IASTM across a range of common issues, delivering focused care and real results:

  • IASTM for joint pain: We target stiff or irritated joints by breaking down scar tissue and improving glide, restoring your ability to move freely, without masking discomfort.
  • IASTM for joint pain: Your stiff or irritated joints regain mobility as scar tissue breaks down, and gliding improves. It allows freer movement without depending on short-term fixes.
  • IASTM for sports injuries: Targeted, instrument-guided strokes accelerate recovery of strained muscles, tendons, and fascia. We help athletes get back to their sport stronger and more resilient.
  • Chronic tightness and overuse syndromes: Conditions such as golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, and plantar fasciitis ease as our precise tool-assisted techniques release deep-set tension and restore motion.
  • Scar tissue from old injuries: We correct motion limitations caused by repetitive stress, enabling smoother, more natural movement in both work and everyday life.
Our efficient team delivers every session with clarity and purpose. We round out care with personalized movement guidance that empowers you to keep building strength, flexibility, and resilience long after your visit.

The Benefits of Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization Techniques

Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization helps restore long-term mobility and tissue health. Using precise, purpose-built tools, this technique breaks down restrictive scar tissue, releases stubborn fascial adhesions, and reawakens optimal movement patterns.

Whether you are healing from a sports injury, managing chronic tightness, or simply aiming to move better, IASTM delivers measurable, lasting improvements.
This therapy can transform your recovery journey by:

Releasing deep-seated joint restrictions

By loosening tight connective tissue around joints, IASTM encourages smoother, pain-free movement. The IASTM therapy for joint pain directly addresses the underlying restrictions that keep you from moving freely.

Targeting tendon irritation at its source

IASTM works with pinpoint accuracy to break down scar tissue around tendons. This makes it highly effective as IASTM for tendon pain, helping the body restore healthy, resilient fibres.

Integrating seamlessly with active rehabilitation

When incorporated as IASTM in physical therapy, this method enhances mobility gains, supports proper biomechanics, and shortens recovery times. It works best upon pairing with targeted exercises and movement retraining.

Stimulating circulation for accelerated healing

The gentle scraping motion increases microcirculation in the affected area, carrying oxygen and nutrients directly to damaged tissues. It helps reduce inflammation and speed up repair.

Supporting a faster return to activity

IASTM reduces downtime between workouts, games, or daily activities by addressing restrictions early. It helps you return stronger, with improved flexibility and reduced risk of reinjury.

What conditions can IASTM help treat?

Action Chiropractic applies IASTM in cases where soft tissue restrictions limit your movement, comfort, or sports performance:

  • Resolves stubborn scar tissue and fascial tightness tied to old strains or post-injury stiffness.
  • Relieves tendon overload and chronic irritation through precise tool-guided mobilization.
  • Eases symptoms of overuse, including cases like tennis or golfer’s elbow and plantar fasciitis.
  • Our IASTMfor sports injuries enhances tendon and muscle resilience in the proactive rehab plans.
  • Supports broader soft tissue treatment with chiropracticstrategies to restore seamless motion.

Why Choose Action Chiropractic and Sports Injury Center for Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization in Naperville?

At Action Chiropractic and Sports Injury Center, we deliver precision care that accelerates recovery and restores peak performance. Our expertise in IASTM for sports injuries and advanced soft tissue treatment chiropractic helps you move with strength, flexibility, and confidence.

We combine proven techniques with a personalized approach, ensuring every session targets your goals and supports lasting, pain-free movement. Get in touch with us to schedule a consultation!

FAQs

1. Is IASTM painful?

Most patients feel mild pressure or scraping, not pain. Our soft tissue mobilization techniques use controlled force to release restrictions while keeping you comfortable.

2. Is IASTM safe?

Yes, our instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization in Naperville is safe as our professionals perform it. We assess your condition thoroughly and adapt each session to your body’s needs.

3. How many IASTM sessions will I need?

Session count varies by condition and goals. We monitor your progress closely and adjust frequency to achieve lasting results without unnecessary treatments.

4. How long does an IASTM session take?

Most of the sessions last 15–30 minutes. We focus on targeted treatment areas, ensuring every minute delivers maximum therapeutic benefit without compromising your comfort or safety.

5. Can I combine IASTM with chiropractic care?

Absolutely. IASTM pairs seamlessly with chiropractic adjustments, enhancing mobility, improving tissue health, and accelerating recovery through a comprehensive, movement-focused care approach.

6. Who should avoid IASTM?

We recommend avoiding IASTM if you have open wounds, infections, uncontrolled health conditions, or certain vascular issues. Our evaluation ensures safe, appropriate treatment for you.

7. Is there any downtime after IASTM?

You may notice mild redness or tenderness for a day. Most patients return to normal activities immediately, often with improved movement and reduced discomfort.
Dr. Norgaard’s first exposure to chiropractic was when he was a high school football player at Neuqua Valley in Naperville, Illinois. Nagging injuries led him to Action Chiropractic and Dr. Durnas. He was amazed with the results he got and knew that the treatments provided at Action Chiropractic were the best way to address his ailments.
After high school, Dr. Norgaard left Naperville and attended Central College in Pella, Iowa. While at Central, he majored in biology and played football, further piquing his interest in sports injuries and how to treat them. When he wasn’t in the classroom or on the football field, Dr. Norgaard spent his time volunteering at hospitals, and at various clinics. This is when he really developed a passion for helping people get better.
His experiences as an athlete, chiropractic patient, and volunteer shaped his decision to become a chiropractor.
After graduating from Central, Dr. Norgaard continued his education at Palmer College of Chiropractic.
While at Palmer, Dr. Norgaard took several extracurricular courses focusing on spinal diagnosis and therapy, soft tissue care, and diagnosis and treatment of the extremities. He completed a 4-month internship with Dr. Durnas at Action Chiropractic and Sports Injury Center and further developed his skills as a physician.
He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Palmer in October of 2021 and received the Academic Excellence Award.
After graduation, Dr. Norgaard joined the team at Action Chiropractic and Sports Injury Center. He currently resides in the Naperville area with his wife, Shannon, son, Parker, and dog, Alby.
“I chose to become a chiropractor because I was helped by chiropractic. I was in such discomfort it took me over 3 minutes to put on my socks. After seeing a chiropractor, and regaining the ability to tie my shoes, I realized that taking loads of NSAIDs did not address the fact that there was something causing the pain. The more I learned about it, I found that Chiropractic doesn’t just hide symptoms, like I was trying to do with pills, it fixes the origin of the problem.”
Dr. Durnas graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Biology and Bachelors of Arts degree in Chemistry. After graduation he worked in research and development for 3 years and dabbled in powerlifting and professional wrestling. That’s what lead him to chiropractic school. While at Palmer College of Chiropractic, he focused on learning how to best help the athlete. He took several extracurricular courses on how to address soft tissue injuries, how to adjust extremities, and how to better manage sports injuries. He graduated in June of 2012, where we were the Palmer Clinical Excellence Award winner and a keynote speaker at commencement.
In 2019, Dr. Durnas earned his Diplomate from the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (DACBSP)®. He is only the 427th chiropractor in history to earn this designation, and only the 6th recipient in the history of Illinois. He completed over 300 hours of classroom and online courses focusing on in depth on the diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries, concussions, and emergency procedures, and had over 100 on the field hours with athletes that ranged from cross fitters, professional and high school football players, professional BMX and Motocross riders, triathletes, and runners. Dr. Durnas passed a 6-part practical exam and a 250 question Board exam and contributed a case study involving nerve damage in a professional athlete following a hit to the shoulder.