Objective: To determine if Augmented Soft Tissue Manipulation (ASTYM) is an effective and efficient intervention for treating injuries to the shoulder from overhead activities. 

Methods: This secondary research was conducted from previous studies published in peer-reviewed journals or databases like PubMed and Google Scholar to investigate ASTYM's impact on the range of motion, pain, and muscle strength and function in various lower and upper extremity injuries/pathologies. Quantitative studies were selected to be analyzed if published within the last ten years.  

Results: The reviewed studies demonstrated positive outcomes when subjects received ASTYM in the affected area rather than traditional treatments, like eccentric exercises. The data exhibited that ASTYM increased active range of motion (AROM) by 17 degrees in participants who experienced a deficit after shoulder surgery. In most studies, there was no significant difference in pain levels between the control and experiment groups; however, a decrease in pain was shown on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), and subjects did not experience an increase in pain after receiving ASTYM. Another positive outcome of ASTYM was shown when, immediately after a participant was treated with ASTYM, they measured a significant positive change in maximal force output using the unilateral isometric squat test. 

Conclusions: Although the previous studies support the theory that ASTYM is effective and efficient in treating shoulder injuries, more research is necessary to examine further ASTYM. Future research should focus on studies explicitly examining how the shoulder reacts to ASTYM while also including a significantly greater subject population to increase the generalizability of the results.