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Graston Methods & Tools

Similar to conventional manipulation, the Graston Technique aims to remove internal scar tissue by manipulating the soft tissue. The technique was based on the works of Dr. James Cyriax, an English orthopedic surgeon. Others built upon his work to include the use of a specific set of metal tools to manipulate and massage muscles. This manipulation helps to break down scar tissue and other restrictive muscle problems, freeing patients from the associated pain and tightness.

  1. The Graston Technique

    • The Graston Technique is a certified and trademarked technique that only health professionals who have completed the Graton Technique's training courses can use. Using the specialist tools, practitioners rub the afflicted areas of a patients muscles, this allow the practitioner and patient to feel the effect of scaring on the surface of the muscles. Repeated courses of treatment remove and alleviate the scaring, creating full flexibility and mobility and removing pain.

    Graston Technique Instruments

    • The instruments used in the technique are a set of six patented shaped metal tools. Their shapes are intended to mold to the various contours of the human body and allow access to deeper muscles than possible through hand massage and manipulation. The Graston Technique website also suggests they are diagnostic tools, stating that just "as a stethoscope amplifies what the human ear can hear, so do the instruments increase significantly what the human hands can feel."

    Benefits to Patients

    • While the technique was specifically designed for use on athletes, it has wider uses and benefits. Use of the Graston Technique may speed up treatment and recovery times for patients that specialists would traditionally treat by muscle manipulation. Reports have noted clinical success in curing or alleviating chronic conditions thought to be permanent injuries.

    Benifits to Clinicians

    • The Graston Technique may give clinicians an improved method of treatment and diagnosis. It also reduces manual stress involved in providing traditional forms of muscle manipulation, and so reduces risk of associated injuries. The technique, and it's training, are approved by the Board of Certification (BOC), the only accredited certifying body for athletic trainers in the United States.

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