Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA)

IASTM treatment enables clinicians to effectively break down scar tissue and fascial restrictions. The technique specifically detects and effectively treats areas exhibiting soft tissue fibrosis or chronic inflammation. The technique is utilized on injured tissue while the patient performs provocative range of motion. This brings the injured/irritated tissues to the surface allowing the practitioner to more effectively treat the affected area.

At NextLevel, we utilize a multifaceted approach to treatment that includes Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM).

Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM)

Over-used muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:

  • acute conditions (pulls, tears, collisions, etc)
  • accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)
  • not getting enough oxygen (hypoxia)

Each of these factors can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.

How do overuse conditions occur?

What is an ART Treatment like?

Every ART session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. The ART provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements.


These treatment protocols - over 500 specific moves - are unique to ART. They allow providers to identify and correct the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient. ART is not a cookie-cutter approach.

What is Active Release Technique (ART) to Individuals, Athletes, and Patients?

ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.

Active Release Technique (A.R.T.)

TREATMENTS

There are 5 main goals for the Kinesio Taping Method:


Sports Performance
Supports movement during athletic activity while maintaining full range of motion and increasing circulation for optimal muscular performance.


Taping for Joint Laxity/Instability

Assists in supporting the joint and soft tissue through full range of motion allowing strengthening while strain and soft tissue spasms are prevented.


Taping for Motor Retraining
Motor patterns can be affected by taping the desired muscular tissue providing sensory input and thus allowing the athlete to have better proprioception/control of the area aiding in correcting issues with aberrant motor patterns.


Taping for Postural Correction
Retraining of proper posture allows injured tissue to heal by preventing repetitive strain and assists in preventing future injury. The tape is applied in a specific fashion making poor posture uncomfortable while refraining from passively holding the patient in good posture. This prevents a passive reliance on the tape and forces the patient to hold themselves in proper posture using their endurance/postural stabilizing musculature, strengthening it for when the tape is removed.


Edema (Bruise) Reduction

Taping the affected area in a specific criss-cross pattern changes the pressure gradient between the skin and the tape allowing diffusion to remove excess fluid from the area and facilitates its movement to the lymphatic system.


Kinesio Taping is a rehabilitative taping technique that is designed to facilitate the body's natural healing process while providing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body's range of motion. The tape used is latex-free, breaths well, can be worn for days at a time, and can be applied with varying levels of tension. Kinesiotaping is used in athletic performance, injury prevention, and injury treatment.

Kinesio-Taping

The Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) is a series of 7 full-body movement tests designed to assess fundamental patterns of movement such as bending and squatting in those with known musculoskeletal pain. When the clinical assessment is initiated from the perspective of the movement pattern, the clinician has the opportunity to identify meaningful impairments that may be seemingly unrelated to the main musculoskeletal complaint, but contribute to the associated disability. This concept, known as Regional Interdependence, is the hallmark of the SFMA. The assessment guides the clinician to the most dysfunctional non-painful movement pattern, which is then assessed in detail. This approach is designed to complement the existing exam and serve as a model to efficiently integrate the concepts of posture, muscle balance and the fundamental patterns of movement into musculoskeletal practice. By addressing the most dysfunctional non-painful pattern, the application of targeted interventions (manual therapy and therapeutic exercise) is not adversely affected by pain.