Do you suffer from tight, sore muscles? Do you sense that your limbs, even after stretching, are not moving in the full, healthy range? Graston Technique could be the answer for you.
Graston is one member of a family of manual therapies which use instruments that scrape over the skin. This superficial treatment aims to remove tissue restrictions, break down scar tissue where it is present and improve blood flow. Many times, pain relief is immediate as patients experience improved mobility and relief from painful tissue adhesions.
Sun Physical Therapy brings over a decade in experience in Graston Technique to patients.
Graston tools are stainless steel. There are six of various size and edging. The smallest can work on little areas such as around the Achilles tendon or the fingers and toes. The largest can cover the thigh or back.
Graston is used to a myriad of conditions, including:
- Achilles tendinopathy
- Back pain
- Bursitis
- Fracture management
- Headache
- Hip pain
- Knee pain
- Neck pain
- Patellar tendinopathy
- Plantar fasciitis
- Pre- and post-operative injuries
- Rotator cuff tendinopathy
- Sciatica
- Shoulder pain
- Temporomandibular dysfunction
- Wrist/hand pain
FAQs
A video of Graston Technique can be viewed here Graston Technique®: How Does It Work (youtube.com)
Yes, there has been research into the effects of Graston Technique and other instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization treatments. It is beyond the goal of this website to provide a comprehensive review of the literature. But, for the benefit of readers, a few articles will be mentioned here.
In 2016, The Journal of Physical Therapy Science published the results of a report titled “The effect of Graston technique on the pain and range of motion in patients with chronic low back pain.” The study involved 30 participants with low back pain of >90 days, with initial onset less than 12 weeks from start of the study. The treatment group received 4 weeks of Graston Technique to the posterior fascia, sacrum, hip, internal rotators and hamstrings. The control group received general exercise, including stretching and stationary bicycling. The study found significant decreases in pain among the group receiving Graston Technique. Both groups demonstrated increased lumbar and hip range of motion.
In 2017, the same journal published the article “Immediate effects of Graston Technique on hamstring muscle extensibility and pain intensity in patients with nonspecific low back pain.” The study looked at 24 people with nonspecific low back pain. The treatment group received Graston Technique to the hamstrings while the control group received static hamstring stretches. The study found both groups had improvement in pain and mobility. However, the group that received Graston Technique had greater improvement in hamstring extensibility than the group that participated in stretching alone.