What is the Graston Technique? 3 reasons why you should add it to your next massage therapy treatment

Graston Technique taking place during a massage at Calgary's MPH clinic

Massage therapists are not only trained to help their clients relax and reduce stress. At Movement Performance & Health, our massage therapists are trained to use various soft tissue techniques to help decrease pain, improve movement and speed up recovery time.

Whether you’re dealing with a muscle strain, sprain or injury – consider using the Graston Technique.

What is the Graston Technique?

The Graston technique is a manual therapy that promotes faster healing and reduced muscle tension. It is a type of Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM), which involves using specialized tools on different body parts for deeper penetration and healing of soft tissue.

Graston is used to primarily detect and release scar tissue, adhesions and fascial restrictions. It is used to break down scar tissue and adhesions that are associated with trauma or injury, such as a strained muscle or sprained ligament.

example Graston steel tool used in massage

Example IASTM steel instrument used for Graston Technique

There are 6 Graston instruments that are used to realign the soft tissue to promote better healing. Each tool serves a specific purpose and is used to detect and treat problem areas.

What does the Graston Technique treat?

The Graston Technique can be used to treat a variety of injuries including:

Ankle Sprains
Tennis Elbow
Golfer’s Elbow
Plantar Fascitis
MCL or LCL Sprain
Shoulder / Rotator Cuff Injuries
Calf Muscle Strains
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Achilles Tendinosis
Shin Splints
Patellofemoral Disorders
Cervical / Thoracic / Lumbar Sprain / Strain
Trigger Finger
Post-Surgical Scar Tissue
de Quervain’s Syndrome
IT Band Syndrome

3 Benefits of adding the Graston Technique to your next massage therapy treatment

Graston can be used alongside a massage therapy treatment and can offer many benefits:

1. Improves soft tissue injuries.

Just like massage therapy, Graston has similar benefits such as reducing muscle tone, promoting blood circulation and improving recovery of soft tissue injuries.

2. Decreases overall recovery time.

One of the biggest benefits of using Graston is it can decrease your overall recovery time. This is because the use of cross fibre friction massage and going against the grain of scar tissue or adhesions reintroduces small trauma to promote blood flow - therefore speeding up healing time.