Graston technique (Instrumented Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization)
Graston technique is a method of instrumented soft tissue mobilization.
It is a very effective method of treating soft tissue injuries (muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc.) which are present in virtually every case of trauma, surgery, and overuse syndromes.
Scars are how our bodies repair tears and cuts. It is a normal replacement issue, but it is not an “original equipment” tissue. It is the body’s “weld” or “patch tissue”. It does not contain melanin, which is why it does not tan, but it also does not have elastin in it which means it isn’t as flexible and stretchy as normal tissue. When it doesn’t heal correctly, it can cause problems like pain and range of motion limitations.
All of us have thousands of scars.To put it in perspective, everywhere you have ever had a cut or a scrape you have a scar. It can be as small as nicking yourself with a razor, a papercut or when you scraped your knee when you fell off a bicycle. The body repairs all the damage layers with scar tissue. In addition, everywhere you ever had a bruise you have a scar. A bruise is just bleeding under the skin. The outer skin layer may be intact, but the fascial layer(fascia) down below split and caused bleeding. When that heals, you have a deep scar.
When you go out and exercise heavily, the next morning you are very sore. If you did a muscle, biopsy, or tendon biopsy, you would find small microtears in those tissues. Those heal but will leave scar tissue as well. Tendinitis (like tennis elbow) used to be thought to be caused by an inflammatory process (inflammation of the tendons which connect muscle to bone) but we now know through biopsies that it’s often multiple layers of scar tissue on top of scar tissue from repeated heavy activity. The correct term is now tendinosis (condition of the tendon) because there’s not as much inflammation there as we thought. It is often a significant scar that has not healed correctly. When you add all these up, we each have hundreds of thousands of scars.
All musculoskeletal tissues in the body are designed to move in layers smoothly against each other. When scars form, it may unfortunately attach layers that should glide. When this happens, people will have pain with normal movement. It’s like getting hair caught in a zipper. The patient with this problem will note continuing ongoing discomfort with normal movements. Treatment with Graston technique instrumented soft tissue mobilization is exceptional for this kind of problem.
CORE was an early adopter of this technique and
was instrumental in bringing it to the east Texas area.
Here is a list of some of the most common conditions treated with Graston Technique ® therapy.
- Ankle Pain (Achilles Tendinosis/itis)
- Wrist Pain (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome)
- Neck Pain (Cervical Sprain/Strain)
- Fibromyalgia
- Hamstring Injuries
- Hip Pain
- IT Band (Iliotibial Band)
- Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylosis/itis)
- Back Pain (Lumbar Sprain/Strain)
- Golfer's Elbow (Medial Epicondylosis/itis)
- Knee Pain (Patellofemoral Disorders)
- Heel Pain (Plantar Fasciitis)
- Shoulder Pain (Rotator Cuff Tendinosis/itis)
- Scar Tissue
- Trigger Finger
- Women's Health (Post-Mastectomy and Caesarean Scarring)
Our unique technique and instruments enable the treatment of scar tissue and fascial restrictions during rehabilitation that allows for faster rehabilitation and with greater success when the goal is restoring range of motion, eliminating pain, and restoring normal function.
More technical information can be found at (https://grastontechnique.com/Patients/)
Ask how we can help you move with less pain and improve function at CORE!
