I always get a little pumped to get a play with a new bit of kit and an oppourtunity to teach a new course. Two years of development has culminated in Rocktape’s version of IASTM (instrument assisted soft-tissue mobilization) tool appropriately called RockBlades. A lot of people think of Rocktape as a taping company. We like to think of ourselves as a “Movement company that dabbles in tape.” As with the tape, Rockblades are another tool to help our medical professionals help our patients decrease pain, move better, and ultimately perform better.
RockBlades consist of 2 tools. One, attractive surgical-grade stainless steel tool affectionately called the “Mallet” and a smaller thermoplastic tool the “Mullet”. The Mallet is designed for in clinic use and the Mullet is for pitch side or out of clinic use. Both tools have a variety of edges for use with multiple body-parts and techniques. Rockblades come in an attractive case including a tub of RockRub emollient and RockWipes to clean the tools and the bodypart prior to taping.
I had the honour of teaching the first RockBlade course in the UK with Rocktape’s Medical Director Paul Coker at the British School of Osteopathy in London. The course was attended by a variety of manual therapists including, physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, sport therapists, and sport massage therapists. There were quite a few familiar faces that have been on previous Rocktape UK’s courses. As with all of our courses we present concepts rather than recipes. We feel once a therapist understands a concept you can apply the concept to a wide range of conditions. We spend a lot of time handling the blades, teaching a number of techniques which can be used in clinic the following Monday morning.
Rocktape’s philosophy on IASTM is a little departure from the theory taught in other tool assisted massage courses. Our philosophy is partly based on research conducted by Dr. Robert Schleip, who debunked the idea of fascial release because fascia is a very tough tissue that requires an extremely large amount of force to deform. We are less likely “breaking” scar tissue and lengthening tissue and more likely temporarily affecting fascial tone. Rocktape’s Medical Director, Dr. Steve Capobianco decscibes the technique “Instrument Assisted Soft-Tissue Neurosensory Modulation”. We are merely providing a stimulus to pain and pressure receptors, free-nerve endings, and other mechanoreceptors in order to allow our patients to move better. We are affecting the nervous system.
RockBlades can be a very useful tool to help our patients recover faster along with other techniques in you “Treatment Bag”. They are designed to work along side other treatments including manipulation/mobilisation, rehabilitative exercise, dry-needling, kinesiology taping, etc. Visit www.rocktape.co.uk for all upcoming courses.