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experiencelifemag.com
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Instruments of Change
Feeling a little stiff after surgery? Suffering from a sports injury and need to get back in the game 10 minutes ago? The Graston Technique could be just the thing to untangle your tissue.
By Jenny Lui |
October 2008 |
An Instrumental Mix
Smoothing Out the Edges
Hurts So Good
Smooth Operators
Find a Practitioner
Tool Time
Graston - Right for You?
After knee-replacement surgery and multiple rounds of physical therapy,
Roberta Gunderson, 53, was feeling like the Bionic Woman — that is, if the
Bionic Woman had been left in the rain to rust. “I felt very stiff and robotic
in the beginning,” says Gunderson of her recovery. “Like I was Frankenstein’s
monster.” Doctors told Gunderson, a biology professor at Wilbur Wright
College in Chicago, that her postsurgery progress had plateaued and that her
knee would likely not gain more than 106 degrees of flexion — far from the ideal
120 degrees. An avid cyclist, swimmer and golfer, Gunderson was determined to
regain her former mobility, so she opted for a treatment called the Graston
Technique (GT), a form of soft-tissue mobilization that detects and breaks up
scar tissue that impedes normal function of muscles, fascia, tendons and
ligaments. Clinicians rub stainless-steel instruments over the injured area, as
if trying to iron out
tangled tissue. After four weeks and seven
treatment sessions, Gunderson’s knee went from 106 degrees of flexion to 116
degrees. “I was amazed at how much I improved in only a month,” she says.
An Instrumental Change
GT is a type of cross-fiber massage — a
noninvasive, drug-free procedure that uses ultraprecise stainless-steel
instruments to break up restrictive scar tissue. These instruments can be far
more effective than a clinician’s hands alone because they are able to
concentrate force while giving excellent feedback to both the clinician and the
patient. (It’s worth noting, however, that GT is often used in conjunction with
other therapies that involve hands, foam rollers and knobs.) GT is used to
treat a wide range of soft-tissue ailments, from tennis elbow to plantar
fasciitis, because clinicians can easily adapt the technique to the situation
and zero in on the offending area. “We are now able to diagnose things that used
to go
undetected,” says Ted Forcum, DC, DACBSP, owner of Back In Motion
Sports Injuries Clinic in Beaverton, Ore. When the clinician runs an
instrument over scar tissue, she can feel exactly what’s happening under the
skin. “It’s like when you were a kid and you put a leaf underneath some paper
and colored over it. But instead of an imprint of the leaf, you get a picture of
the injury,” says Forcum, who used GT to treat U.S. Olympians in Beijing.
Smoothing Out the Edges
A lot of soft-tissue problems occur within the
fascia, the web of connective tissue that supports muscles and organs and
prevents us from melting into formless blobs. If you suffer an injury, however,
the fascia tends to attempt to stabilize the area by binding to the muscles like
poorly applied wallpaper, complete with air bubbles and clumsy adhesions. GT
instruments smooth out those air bubbles. If not addressed, these adhesions
can cause an avalanche of kinetic chaos, because when a muscle or group of
muscles becomes incapacitated, all the surrounding muscles, tendons and
ligaments have to pick up the slack — which eventually causes them to become
overworked and fatigued. Your only option: Break down the adhesions so you can
rebuild a healthy balance. The approach seems to be effective. “We’ve found
that injured ligaments treated with GT showed accelerated healing in the short
term and a clear increase in strength compared to injured ligaments that weren’t
treated with GT,” says Terry Loghmani, PT, MS, MTC, associate clinical professor
of physical therapy at Indiana University in Indianapolis.
Hurts So Good
Because GT involves direct manipulation of stuck tissue, patients can
expect some discomfort during the procedure. “But it should never produce pain
that’s intolerable,” says Richard E. Vincent, DC, who uses GT in his Falmouth,
Mass., clinic. Patient and clinician should work together to figure out the
appropriate intensity levels. “With most patients, we will wait a day
or two between treatments, but others — especially athletes — are accustomed to
working through benign pain and use GT every day because they have to recover
fast and perform,” says Valli Gambina, DC, a chiropractic sports physician in
Venice, Fla. After treatment, some soreness, bruising and swelling is
actually desirable because it means the body is replacing adhesed tissue with
healthy, linear tissue.
Smooth Operators
Sessions usually last
about an hour, during which the clinician uses GT for only about five to eight
minutes on each injured area. The rest of the time is dedicated to assessment,
warming up, stretching and icing. Unlike some other types of treatment,
patients using GT can’t just kick back and let the practitioner do all the work.
After treatment, patients must continue to stretch and strengthen the injured
area. While it might seem counterintuitive to work an injured area, the
immediate movement helps the tissue heal correctly. Most patients will begin
to notice positive results after three or four sessions, with treatment lasting
about eight to 10 sessions. But some will experience results even faster. After
her first session, Gunderson said she immediately felt looser and more
flexible. There are some people for whom GT isn’t right, such as those who
have arthritis or who have recently undergone surgery or take blood thinners.
But if you’re free of such contraindications and are suffering from soft-tissue
issues, GT can offer relief — and improve the way you move. Jenny Lui is a
Chicago-based writer.
Find a Practitioner
To locate a GT practitioner, visit the Graston Technique
Web site (www.grastontechnique.com). The site
features a comprehensive database of certified GT clinicians for any area of the
country, as well as Canada.
Tool Time
The Graston Technique uses six stainless-steel instruments. The
different shapes give practitioners closer access to different parts of the
body. Practitioners usually refer to each instrument by a number, but these
tools also have nicknames. GT1: “Handlebars”
Best for large muscle groups, such as shoulders,
back and legs. GT2: “Bottle Opener”
Best for small muscle groups. GT3: “Tongue Depressor”
Best for pinpointing specific areas. GT4: “Scanner”
Best for scanning and treatment. GT5: “Boomerang”
Best for diagnosis and more aggressive treatment. GT6: “Little Bottle Opener”
Sometimes referred to as the “can opener,”
this tool is best for smaller regions, such as hands and feet.
Graston - Right for You?
The Graston Technique (GT) uses deep massage with
stainless-steel instruments to treat scar tissue and restrictions in soft
tissue, such as muscles, fascia, tendons and ligaments. GT is especially
good for people who have plateaued in their recovery from an injury and for
athletes who need to return to competition quickly. During GT sessions, the
clinician breaks up twisted and frayed scar tissue by running the instruments
along the injured area. By guiding healing with stretching and strengthening,
practitioners rebuild the soft tissue into healthy, linear tissue. If minor
discomfort — akin to a really intense massage — makes you squirm, maybe GT isn’t
right for you. But those who’ve experienced the benefits of GT say that the ends
definitely justify the “ouch.” Conditions commonly treated by
GT:
Plantar fasciitis
Tennis elbow
Back
pain
Tendinitis
Postsurgical scarring
Sprains
Strains
Muscular or
skeletal problems
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Instruments of Change
Feeling a little stiff after surgery? Suffering from a sports injury and need to get back in the game 10 minutes ago? The Graston Technique could be just the thing to untangle your tissue.
By Jenny Lui | Fitness Fixes Department,
October 2008 |
An Instrumental Mix
Smoothing Out the Edges
Hurts So Good
Smooth Operators
Find a Practitioner
Tool Time
Graston - Right for You?
After knee-replacement surgery and multiple rounds of physical therapy,
Roberta Gunderson, 53, was feeling like the Bionic Woman — that is, if the
Bionic Woman had been left in the rain to rust. “I felt very stiff and robotic
in the beginning,” says Gunderson of her recovery. “Like I was Frankenstein’s
monster.” Doctors told Gunderson, a biology professor at Wilbur Wright
College in Chicago, that her postsurgery progress had plateaued and that her
knee would likely not gain more than 106 degrees of flexion — far from the ideal
120 degrees. An avid cyclist, swimmer and golfer, Gunderson was determined to
regain her former mobility, so she opted for a treatment called the Graston
Technique (GT), a form of soft-tissue mobilization that detects and breaks up
scar tissue that impedes normal function of muscles, fascia, tendons and
ligaments. Clinicians rub stainless-steel instruments over the injured area, as
if trying to iron out
tangled tissue. After four weeks and seven
treatment sessions, Gunderson’s knee went from 106 degrees of flexion to 116
degrees. “I was amazed at how much I improved in only a month,” she says.
An Instrumental Change (Back to Top)
GT is a type of cross-fiber massage — a
noninvasive, drug-free procedure that uses ultraprecise stainless-steel
instruments to break up restrictive scar tissue. These instruments can be far
more effective than a clinician’s hands alone because they are able to
concentrate force while giving excellent feedback to both the clinician and the
patient. (It’s worth noting, however, that GT is often used in conjunction with
other therapies that involve hands, foam rollers and knobs.) GT is used to
treat a wide range of soft-tissue ailments, from tennis elbow to plantar
fasciitis, because clinicians can easily adapt the technique to the situation
and zero in on the offending area. “We are now able to diagnose things that used
to go
undetected,” says Ted Forcum, DC, DACBSP, owner of Back In Motion
Sports Injuries Clinic in Beaverton, Ore. When the clinician runs an
instrument over scar tissue, she can feel exactly what’s happening under the
skin. “It’s like when you were a kid and you put a leaf underneath some paper
and colored over it. But instead of an imprint of the leaf, you get a picture of
the injury,” says Forcum, who used GT to treat U.S. Olympians in Beijing.
Smoothing Out the Edges (Back to Top)
A lot of soft-tissue problems occur within the
fascia, the web of connective tissue that supports muscles and organs and
prevents us from melting into formless blobs. If you suffer an injury, however,
the fascia tends to attempt to stabilize the area by binding to the muscles like
poorly applied wallpaper, complete with air bubbles and clumsy adhesions. GT
instruments smooth out those air bubbles. If not addressed, these adhesions
can cause an avalanche of kinetic chaos, because when a muscle or group of
muscles becomes incapacitated, all the surrounding muscles, tendons and
ligaments have to pick up the slack — which eventually causes them to become
overworked and fatigued. Your only option: Break down the adhesions so you can
rebuild a healthy balance. The approach seems to be effective. “We’ve found
that injured ligaments treated with GT showed accelerated healing in the short
term and a clear increase in strength compared to injured ligaments that weren’t
treated with GT,” says Terry Loghmani, PT, MS, MTC, associate clinical professor
of physical therapy at Indiana University in Indianapolis.
Hurts So Good (Back to Top)
Because GT involves direct manipulation of stuck tissue, patients can
expect some discomfort during the procedure. “But it should never produce pain
that’s intolerable,” says Richard E. Vincent, DC, who uses GT in his Falmouth,
Mass., clinic. Patient and clinician should work together to figure out the
appropriate intensity levels. “With most patients, we will wait a day
or two between treatments, but others — especially athletes — are accustomed to
working through benign pain and use GT every day because they have to recover
fast and perform,” says Valli Gambina, DC, a chiropractic sports physician in
Venice, Fla. After treatment, some soreness, bruising and swelling is
actually desirable because it means the body is replacing adhesed tissue with
healthy, linear tissue.
Smooth Operators (Back to Top)
Sessions usually last
about an hour, during which the clinician uses GT for only about five to eight
minutes on each injured area. The rest of the time is dedicated to assessment,
warming up, stretching and icing. Unlike some other types of treatment,
patients using GT can’t just kick back and let the practitioner do all the work.
After treatment, patients must continue to stretch and strengthen the injured
area. While it might seem counterintuitive to work an injured area, the
immediate movement helps the tissue heal correctly. Most patients will begin
to notice positive results after three or four sessions, with treatment lasting
about eight to 10 sessions. But some will experience results even faster. After
her first session, Gunderson said she immediately felt looser and more
flexible. There are some people for whom GT isn’t right, such as those who
have arthritis or who have recently undergone surgery or take blood thinners.
But if you’re free of such contraindications and are suffering from soft-tissue
issues, GT can offer relief — and improve the way you move. Jenny Lui is a
Chicago-based writer.
Find a Practitioner (Back to Top)
To locate a GT practitioner, visit the Graston Technique
Web site (www.grastontechnique.com). The site
features a comprehensive database of certified GT clinicians for any area of the
country, as well as Canada.
Tool Time (Back to Top)
The Graston Technique uses six stainless-steel instruments. The
different shapes give practitioners closer access to different parts of the
body. Practitioners usually refer to each instrument by a number, but these
tools also have nicknames. GT1: “Handlebars”
Best for large muscle groups, such as shoulders,
back and legs. GT2: “Bottle Opener”
Best for small muscle groups. GT3: “Tongue Depressor”
Best for pinpointing specific areas. GT4: “Scanner”
Best for scanning and treatment. GT5: “Boomerang”
Best for diagnosis and more aggressive treatment. GT6: “Little Bottle Opener”
Sometimes referred to as the “can opener,”
this tool is best for smaller regions, such as hands and feet.
Graston - Right for You? (Back to Top)
The Graston Technique (GT) uses deep massage with
stainless-steel instruments to treat scar tissue and restrictions in soft
tissue, such as muscles, fascia, tendons and ligaments. GT is especially
good for people who have plateaued in their recovery from an injury and for
athletes who need to return to competition quickly. During GT sessions, the
clinician breaks up twisted and frayed scar tissue by running the instruments
along the injured area. By guiding healing with stretching and strengthening,
practitioners rebuild the soft tissue into healthy, linear tissue. If minor
discomfort — akin to a really intense massage — makes you squirm, maybe GT isn’t
right for you. But those who’ve experienced the benefits of GT say that the ends
definitely justify the “ouch.” Conditions commonly treated by
GT:
Plantar fasciitis
Tennis elbow
Back
pain
Tendinitis
Postsurgical scarring
Sprains
Strains
Muscular or
skeletal problems
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October 22, 2008
Jenny Lui says:
I hope this helps anyone who is suffering from tissue ailments. Ironically, I suffered a torn bicep right after I wrote this article. So, I was able to test all this out firsthand. And let me tell you, I was very pleased. I went to the same practitioner who treated Roberta Gunderson. His name is Dr. Darren Hancock. I highly recommend him if you're in the Chicago area. I was back in the rugby pitch in two weeks! You can find him here: www.chicagosportsandchiro.com Thanks for reading! Cheers, J Lui
October 16, 2008
Dr. Steven Shoshany D.C, C.C.E.P. says:
I am a Chiropractor practicing in Manhattan and I utulize the Graston technique on my patients. This technique helped me with a rotator cuff injury and has allowed me to continue to practice without pain. I use the instruments every day on patient that have carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fascitis,and many other difficult to treat problems. When this technique is used in conjunction with cold laser therapy and kinesio taping the results are amazing.
October 5, 2008
Brian Morrison, D.C. says:
I have treated sports injury, post-surgical, carpal tunnel and repetitive strain patients patients with Graston(r) technique since 2003. Results are consistent and predictable. It is among the most valuable tools in the clinic.
October 2, 2008
Rachel says:
Thanks to Jenny Lui for writing the article! I may need to try this technique one of these days :)