IASTM stands for Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization, and has come to mean any type of tool assisted massage. Sometimes it goes by the shortened name of ISTM, or by particular brands of IASTM such as Graston® and Fibroblaster. Westernized Gua Sha has often been called an IASTM as well.
Graston is a form of manual therapy known as soft-tissue instrument-assisted mobilization. It is one of a number of manual therapy approaches that uses instruments with a specialized form of massage/scraping the skin gently.
Gua sha meaning “scraping sha-bruises”, is a traditional Chinese medical treatment in which the skin is scraped to produce light bruising. Practitioners believe gua sha releases unhealthy elements from injured areas and stimulates blood flow and healing.
Both are a process in which the Therapist uses a set of hand held instruments to break down the scar tissue and fascial restrictions in soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia, and nerves).