Astym treatment technique offered by the VMH Rehabilitation Department

The Rehabilitation Department at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon is providing Astym treatment technique for patients who have experienced a traumatic or overuse injury resulting in chronic pain, weakness, and limited motion.  Astym is an evidence-based treatment technique, which has been developed by physicians and therapists at Ball Memorial Hospital, Ball State University, Purdue University and Central Indiana Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

Tami Gebel, Occupational Therapist at Veterans Memorial Hospital, is certified to perform Astym treatments on individuals who have experienced an injury in the past and had minimal success at getting rid of the pain, had a lingering achiness, weakness, or limited ability to complete daily activities and sports.

“All of the therapists at Veterans Memorial Hospital strive to provide the best and most effective treatments for our patients. The Astym technique is useful to have as an additional ‘tool,’ especially when some individuals do not seem to have positive results from other treatment methods,” states Gebel.

Astym is a therapy approach that addresses problems such as scarring, fibrosis and degeneration that occurs in soft tissues as the result of an injury, surgery, or overuse. Astym treatment stimulates the body’s natural healing response to regenerate soft tissues, decrease pain and improve movement. 

Astym was designed to address the underlying problems, not just the symptoms.

When an injury occurs, the body’s immediate natural response is inflammation and formation of scar tissue.  Scar tissue is disorganized, whereas normal healthy tissue is organized with a good blood supply. The Astym technique utilizes tools to break down disorganized scar tissue. Then, through the use of a custom designed stretching and strengthening program, the body can naturally form new organized soft tissue.

Often times, when an individual injures one body part, their body movements following the injury change in order to move so that body part doesn’t hurt.  These compensations result in dysfunction and often causes the pain to “move” or “spread” to another area.  For this reason, Astym treatments incorporate the whole limb, back, and/or neck in order to stop the compensating, thus fixing the muscle imbalances.

Breanne Bernau of rural Waukon has been seeing Gebel for Astym treatments for her shoulder pain with great results. She states, “This Astym treatment has been a blessing to me.  It has changed me dramatically from six weeks ago. I have so much more mobility in my shoulder now and I can sleep so much better. Everyone needs to know that we have this amazing treatment here. It has helped me so much with my shoulder pain.”

Some of the diagnoses that respond well to the Astym treatment are: lateral and medical epicondylitis, DeQuervain’s tenosynovitis, wrist sprains, shoulder pain, post-surgical scarring, and most forms of tendinopathies.

Astym treatments help to decrease pain and increase motion. Rehabilitation treatments occur one to two times per week, and usually last between four and five weeks. Patients are encouraged to continue to be active and participate in sports, work, and other daily activities while they are receiving the therapy treatments.

Anyone who feels Astym treatments may help them overcome an injury or pain they are experiencing should feel free to make an appointment by calling the Veterans Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation Department at 563-568-5528.