Graston Technique

Graston Technique is a deep-tissue therapy that is extremely effective in healing chronic soft-tissue injury.  It is especially helpful for many of the "-itis" conditions, such as tendonitis, fasciitis and bursitis.  Often, painful conditions that have persisted for months or years improve noticeably in one or two treatments and completely resolve in as few as six.

Most deep-tissue therapies are performed by the clinician, using only his or her knowledge of anatomy and their hands for pressure. Graston is distinguished from these others by the use of small, rigid steel instruments that allow the deep pressure to be more precisely directed to the body structure that needs therapy, sparing other areas from bruising.  The rigid instruments also amplify changes in sensation as they move from normal to damaged tissue, further allowing the clinician to precisely locate the problem area.  The change in sensation is also very noticeable to the patient.

There are several reasons that the deep-tissue therapies are so effective.  I am convinced that the most important is that these therapies break a few capillaries, which liberates the blood-borne growth factors involved in healing, thereby initiating the so-called "healing cascade."  Among these are epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, platelet derived growth factor, fibroblast growth factors 1 and 2, transforming growth factor and keratinocyte growth factor.

Although I indicated that many of the conditions for which these therapies are appropriate are  "-itises," in fact, many of them are degenerative conditions rather than inflammatory conditions, (just the opposite,) and properly should be called "-osis" conditions.  Inflammation is inseparable from healing, and many times these conditions really need a bit more inflammation to jump-start the healing process.  Graston and the other deep-tissue therapies provide the needed boost.  The more knowledgeable the clinician, the more the inflammation-boost will be directed to the proper spot, promoting healing where needed, while avoiding damage to healthy tissue.

The deep-tissue therapies are not appropriate for nerve pain (sciatica,) open wounds, new injuries already in the inflammatory stage of healing, or systemic diseases such as cancer, connective tissue disease and others.  Some, but not all people have bruising that might linger for as much as a week or so.  Because the pressure has to go deep, through the superficial tissue, this might be sore from Graston therapy.  But the underlying muscle, tendon, ligament, bursa or fascia that was the reason the patient came for therapy in the first place, often feels dramatically better, even after the first treatment.