The Graston Technique® – Discover How it Relieves Pain and Promotes Healing

Restoring Movement
In most cases, your chiropractic appointment focuses on the vertebra in your spine and on your joints. Sometimes scar tissue, adhesions, and trigger points in your muscles and soft tissue cause pain and hinder movement. The Graston Technique is a safe and effective way to reduce or eliminate those hinderances so you can move easily and free of pain.

Who Can Benefit from the Graston Technique?
Most patients who struggle with chronic myofascial pain, such as trigger points or pain from scar tissue, and edema can benefit from the Graston Technique.

Conditions that can be Treated with the Graston Technique
The Graston Technique can be used to address a wide variety of conditions, especially to alleviate acute and chronic pain.

• Tennis elbow (medial epicondylitis)
• Golfer’s elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Neck and back pain
• Plantar fasciitis
• Rotator cuff tendonitis
• Patellar tendonitis
• Tibialis posterior tendonitis
• Thumb tendonitis (DeQuervain’s syndrome)
• Post-surgical and traumatic scarring
• Chronic and acute sprains and strains
• Non-acute bursitis
• IT band syndrome
• Wrist tendonitis
• Scar tissue and myofascial adhesions which reduce range of motion
• Achilles tendonitis

Avoid the Graston Technique if you have any of these Conditions

• Open wounds
• Unhealed fractures
• Uncontrolled hypertension
• High sensitivity to pain
• Bruising
• Osteomyelitis
• Hemophilia

The Graston Technique Might Not Be the Right Fit if You Have One of these Conditions
If you have any of the following conditions and want the benefits of the Graston Technique, talk with me before scheduling an appointment.

• Taking blood thinners
• Cancer patients
• Burn scars
• Varicose veins
• Inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis
• Acute infection
• Pregnancy

How the Graston Technique Works
First, I lightly brush the area with a scanning tool to “feel” for adhesions, trigger points, and scar tissue. Scar tissue usually has a “gravelly” sensation; trigger points are like bumps in the road. Next, using the same or a different tool, I use a deep fanning, strumming, or brushing stroke, to break up scar tissue cross fibers, reduce the size of trigger points, and flush edema out of the area. Each Graston treatment session is five to ten minutes and focuses on one area of your body.

I usually finish with a chiropractic adjustment plus a localized stretch or exercise to reinforce the direction of the healthy scar tissue and promote edema reduction. The entire visit, including the chiropractic adjustment is about 20 minutes. Many patients experience mild discomfort during the five to ten minute Graston treatment. Any discomfort usually subsides within minutes.

Graston Technique – Tools and Strokes
I use six palm-sized, stainless steel tools of different shapes and seven types of strokes, depending on the condition and part of the body I am treating. I use these tools and strokes to break up scar tissue, myofascial adhesions, reduce edema, promote blood flow, and promote tissue healing.

The Benefits
The end result of the Graston work is soft tissue mobilization. How does soft-tissue mobilization improve your health and quality of life?

• Enables your muscles to contract more efficiently. Random and inefficiently laid scar tissue begins to work in better unison with healthy connective tissue and healthy muscle fibers.
• Reduces or prevents chronic pain. The technique smooths out connective tissue adhesions that prevent tissues from gliding smoothly. For example, when you move any part of your body, several muscle groups are involved and slide over, under, or across each other. During movement, adhesions between the muscle groups can cause pain and impair movement.
• Promotes edematous fluid moving back into the lymphatic drainage system.
• Promotes healing by increasing blood flow to injured areas.
• Promotes muscle reflex inhibition so chronically tight (hypertonistic) muscles can to relax

Contact us or call us today at (253) 942-3300 to see if Graston Technique is right for you and to make an appointment.