The Graston Technique can be a remarkably helpful treatment whether you’re looking for a solution for pain after an injury or simply searching the internet for solutions to symptoms that don’t seem to go away on their own. Most often utilized for chronic pain relief and release of muscle tension, the Graston Technique is administered by our certified physical therapists who specialize in this and other effective manual therapy techniques.
What is Graston Technique?
The Graston Technique is one of many tools we can utilize when developing a personalized physical therapy plan for your specific condition and preferences for treatment. It’s a type of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) that utilizes patented smooth stainless-steel tools to manipulate areas of the body where scar tissue and tension can lead to tightness, stiffness, and pain.
Graston Technique accomplishes a few things at once as it’s used in a treatment area like a stiff joint, including physically breaking up scar tissue (fibrosis) and inducing a healing response and increased blood flow to the area.
Conditions Graston Technique can treat
IASTM and Graston Technique in particular have shown great anecdotal and evidence-based success in treating low back pain in addition to chronic joint pain or muscle tension. The Graston Technique isn’t necessarily the main method we’ll use to treat the condition you’re dealing with; it’s simply one of many tools our physical therapists use to speed recovery, improve range of motion, and alleviate symptoms of many conditions, including:
- Post-surgical fibrosis
- Abnormal scarring
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Plantar fasciitis
- Trigger finger
- Sprains throughout the body
- Tennis elbow
- Golfer’s elbow
- Rotator cuff tendinitis (not tears)
- Repetitive stress injuries
The beauty of Graston Technique is that it’s versatile and can help in many different situations without any risk of side effects. Its results are often surprising for how simple the treatment method is, especially for people who have gotten “used to” chronic pain or stiffness in their joints or muscles.
Is Graston Technique OK for CVA?
After a stroke, or cerebrovascular accident (CVA), people often experience spasticity, or stiffness and decreased range-of-motion of varying degrees from mild to severe. Graston Technique may be recommended to alleviate mild spasticity that some stroke victims experience in their limbs. This should always be done in consultation with your medical care team and as a complement to other tested stroke spasticity treatments, including physical therapy, strength training, and targeted stretching exercises.
Graston Technique is a precision treatment that is not meant to alleviate whole-body symptoms but rather to aid recovery in specific areas that are also receiving other forms of treatment. In this way, it can be an effective part of a comprehensive care plan.
What to expect from your Graston Technique appointment
You can always ask about adding Graston Technique to your existing physical therapy plan if your provider has licensed Graston Technique specialists on staff. You can also search for a Graston Technique provider in your area if you’re just starting out.
At your first appointment, your specialist will review your concerns, give you an examination, and recommend a treatment plan with Graston Technique. A normal treatment plan with Graston Technique involves a few short in-person appointments per week. If your specialist recommends additional therapy modalities, your appointments may be longer and require at-home exercises as well.
Depending on your specific condition and the area treated, you can expect redness and/or bruising due to increased blood flow, tenderness in the area that’s been triggered into healing, and some soreness after the healing process starts.
Get started with Graston Technique treatments
Graston techniques can be a surprisingly satisfying treatment technique for how simple the process is and how effective the relief can be. If you’ve been struggling with lingering pain, chronic pain, or muscle tension or stiffness anywhere in your body, our physical therapists can help, with or without Graston Techniques. Learn more about your options and get your first visit schedule by calling one of our nearby office locations or requesting an appointment online today.
