Soft Tissue Therapy and IASTM in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas uses hands-on and instrument assisted soft tissue techniques as part of regular care, listed with the rest of our services. This page covers what they are and how they differ from a massage appointment.

What "soft tissue" means here

Soft tissue is muscle, tendon and fascia, plus the connective tissue that lets those layers slide across each other. When an area has been painful or guarded for a while, that tissue behaves differently: muscle holds tension between uses, a tendon gets tender in one spot, and the tissue over a region feels thicker and less mobile than the same tissue on the other side. None of that shows on an x-ray. It is found by hand at an exam.

Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM)

IASTM uses a smooth-edged tool, usually stainless steel, worked over the skin along a muscle or tendon after a lubricant goes on. It is used first to find areas that feel restricted or thickened compared with the tissue around them, then to work over those areas with controlled pressure. Texture changes come through the edge of an instrument more clearly than through fingers, which is why one is used.

It can be uncomfortable over a tender spot, and the pressure is set to what you can tolerate rather than pushed through. It also leaves temporary redness in most people and mild bruising in some. That is expected, it settles on its own, and it is discussed with you beforehand.

Trigger point work

A trigger point is a tight, tender band in a muscle that hurts when pressed and can refer pain somewhere else. A point in the upper trapezius can send pain up into the head. The treatment is sustained pressure held on that band until the tenderness eases. Most people recognize their own pain pattern the moment the point is pressed, which is the useful part of it.

Myofascial release and manual therapy

The slower, broader end of the same work. Sustained hands-on pressure is applied across an area, held, and moved as the tissue gives, aimed at restriction over a region rather than one point. It suits an area that moves poorly as a whole, like a low back and hip behaving as one stiff block.

What we will not tell you

Soft tissue treatment is often advertised as a way to break up scar tissue, break down adhesions, or flush toxins out of muscle. We do not describe it that way, because what happens inside tissue during a treatment is not something a clinic can watch or promise. What can be described is what gets done, and what patients report afterwards: less tenderness and easier movement. This is treatment for musculoskeletal problems, not for illness elsewhere.

How this is different from booking a massage

Massage therapy and these techniques overlap, and the difference is not that one works better. It is what the appointment is for.

Our massage therapy is a session with a massage therapist. It covers a broader area, runs as its own appointment, and includes both general therapeutic work and the relaxation side of it, which is a good reason to book one.

The techniques here are targeted treatment on one problem area inside a care plan, usually in the same visit as an adjustment and chosen from what the exam found. A treatment step rather than a session. Plenty of patients have both. If the question is which to book first, chiropractor or massage therapist works through that.

How it fits with the rest of your care

Soft tissue work and joint work address different things and often happen in the same visit. A joint guarded for weeks has muscle changes around it, and an adjustment tends to hold better when the tissue is not fighting it.

Nothing starts before an exam. Dr. Keys is the Chair of the Virgin Islands Board of Chiropractic Examiners, a member of the Virgin Islands Chiropractic Society, and the International Chiropractors Association representative for the U.S. Virgin Islands. It usually sits alongside adjustment and spinal rehabilitation, and gets used most often for neck pain, shoulder pain, lower back pain and tennis elbow and golfer's elbow. For a tendon problem going for months, shockwave therapy may fit better.

When this is not the right treatment

• Not over broken skin, an open wound, a rash or an active infection in the area.
• Not over an area where a fracture is suspected. That needs imaging.
• Not on a limb that is newly swollen, hot and painful. That needs medical assessment.
• Tell us beforehand if you take a blood thinner or have a clotting or skin condition. Suitability is decided at your exam, not from a web page.
• Numbness, tingling or weakness that is spreading is a nerve sign and needs evaluation first.

If an area is red, hot and swollen with a fever, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911. When back pain is an emergency has the rest of the warning signs.

Getting seen

Call (340) 690-4994 to have the area examined. We take walk-ins and same-day appointments. We are at the VI Medical Foundation Building, Suite 202, 9150 Estate Thomas, St. Thomas, USVI 00802, just east of Charlotte Amalie and a short drive from the Havensight cruise port and Yacht Haven Grande. Hours are Mon, Wed, Thu: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Tue, Fri: 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. Closed Sat and Sun. New patient forms are at forms. Tradewinds Chiropractic has more than 180 five-star Google reviews.

Questions patients ask

Do you do IASTM in St. Thomas?

Yes. Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas uses instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization along with trigger point work and myofascial release, as part of a care plan rather than as a standalone service. Call (340) 690-4994 to have the area examined.

What is instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization?

A smooth-edged tool, usually stainless steel, is worked over the skin along a muscle or tendon after a lubricant goes on. It is used to find areas that feel restricted or thickened compared with the tissue around them, and then to work over those areas with controlled pressure. Nothing is injected and nothing breaks the skin.

Does IASTM leave bruises?

It leaves temporary redness in most people and mild bruising in some. That is expected rather than a sign something went wrong, and it settles on its own. It gets discussed with you before the tool is used, and the pressure is set to what you can tolerate.

Is this the same as a massage?

No, though the two overlap. Massage therapy here is a session with a massage therapist covering a broader area, including the general therapeutic and relaxation side of it. The techniques on this page are targeted treatment applied to one problem area inside a care plan, usually in the same visit as an adjustment. Many patients have both.

Can soft tissue therapy help scar tissue from an old injury?

An old injury often leaves an area that feels tight, tender or restricted, and that area is what gets examined and treated. What we will not tell you is that the treatment breaks scar tissue down, because that is not something a clinic can observe or promise. What patients report is less tenderness and easier movement. Whether your case fits is decided at an exam.