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We can also develop a personalized treatment plan to address your individual needs and help you achieve your pain management goals. This can involve working with a physical therapist to strengthen weakened muscles, improve flexibility, and correct postural issues. Chronic pain often leads to altered movement patterns and muscle imbalances.
This method allows for more controlled and deeper pressure on the tissues.1 Manual methods provide immediate tactile feedback and can be adjusted in real time to suit a patient’s needs and responses. This approach is intended to improve treatment outcomes while reducing strain on the therapist’s hands and joints. These methods allow therapists to feel and manipulate the tissues to release tightness, increase circulation, and promote tissue repair. Whether you’re considering these treatments or simply curious, this overview provides valuable insights into choosing the best approach for musculoskeletal health. We’ll also examine how IASTM compares to traditional treatment methods. In this article, we’ll explore this innovative approach and discuss how each can help improve muscle and joint function.
After each treatment, the affected area will be stretched and our physical therapist will provide you with ice packs if you experience any soreness. The amount of pressure used with the instrument, and the speed in which it is done will vary depending on the nature of your condition, and it will be adjusted throughout the treatment. The edge of the stainless steel tool will be used to slowly glide across the affected soft tissue until it comes in contact with an adhesion. It’s problematic because scar tissue and adhesions may bend to fascia and cause a condition known as fascial restriction. It is believed that scar tissue and adhesions prevent the underneath body structures from moving properly.
Additionally, we’ll examine the Graston Technique’s specialized tools and the pros and cons of this treatment method. Medbridge's integrated platform provides the highest quality continuing education, patient engagement, and enterprise tools. Many clinics document Graston Technique under CPT® (Manual therapy techniques, each 15 minutes) alongside objective measures and the functional task it enabled. Clinically, your best bet is to position Graston Technique as a supporting intervention to help patients tolerate and progress the loading strategy that ultimately drives outcomes (e.g., eccentrics, heavy-slow resistance, return-to-run progressions). Graston Technique is a branded form of IASTM that uses stainless-steel instruments with beveled edges to deliver shear and compression forces to skin and underlying fascia. Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) using Graston Technique can be a practical adjunct to your plan of care when tissue remodeling and load progression are goals.
Medbridge empowers clinicians and organizations to improve outcomes, consistency of care, and patient satisfaction through data-driven insights and streamlined workflows. Current evidence supports short-term improvements in pain and ROM, with variable effects on function by condition. Patient snapshotRecreational runner, 38, with 12-week history of midportion Achilles pain.
This method improves circulation and promotes healing within the underlying soft tissues. Graston Technique instruments have a unique shape and size, tailored to fit various body contours, allowing for precise targeting of different tissue areas. The Graston Technique uses uniquely shaped stainless steel instruments that glide over the skin to detect and treat areas with injured fibrotic tissue. The Graston Technique is a type of manual therapy that uses specialized stainless steel instruments to scrape or massage the skin gently. The Graston Technique, a unique and innovative form of manual therapy, has emerged as a pivotal component in modern physical therapy practices. Trusted physical therapy guidance for adults 50+ who want to stay active, steady, and strong for life. Both healthcare providers and patients should weigh the evidence carefully and consider personal health factors when integrating IASTM into treatment plans.
Our physical therapist will then rub over the adhesion to elicit movement. Over time, even the wear and tear of everyday life can cause muscle fibers to adhere to each other irregularly. This is because ligaments, tendons, and muscles are unable to move freely. It tends to be thick and may build up around the ligaments, tendons, and muscles after an injury.