The Graston Technique: instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization

The Graston Technique was originally created by a machinist who had the desire to speed up his own rehabilitation process after the lack of progress with conventional therapy techniques. After experiencing success on his own injury rehab, he partnered with Ball State University professionals to develop the technique and full set of tools.

What is Graston all about?

You might have heard about Graston or the Graston Technique from friends or social media as it popularity continues to rise, but what is Graston really about? Graston is essentially a soft tissue treatment technique, which utilizes specialized instruments to treat both chronic and acute soft tissue conditions. With the unique Graston instruments and technique, we are able to effectively treat scar tissue and restrictive fascia while eliminating pain and restoring normal function and range of motion about a joint. The instruments can interrupt and break down thick and irregular scar tissue, which causes dysfunction of movement and disrupts normal neural pathways often resulting in pain. The use of the Graston instruments allows for greater soft tissue treatment, with a decreased treatment time.

The Graston instruments

The complete set of specially-designed Graston instruments has six components. Each instrument is uniquely shaped, which allows for a wide variety of uses on virtually every body part. Each surface of every instrument is designed to fit and contour to different parts of the body, ensuring that no matter where the injury is, at least one of the instruments can effectively target the area. Whether pain is present in your neck, wrist, back, thigh or foot, there is a Graston tool that can target that area.

What can the Graston Technique treat?

Graston can be used to treat a number of different conditions, from chronic to acute, and can be an effective treatment for many soft tissue conditions including:

• Back and neck pain
• Achilles tendonitis/tendinosis
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondyltis)
• Tennis elbow (lateral epicondyltis)
• Hamstring injuries
• Quad or iltotibial (IT) band pain
• Knee pain (patellarfemoral pain and disorders)
• Shoulder pain (deltoid/bicep tendon/rotator cuff tendinitis or tendinosis)
• Heel and foot pain, such plantar fasciitis

Learn more on the Graston Technique website.