Graston Technique®

What Graston Technique is

Graston Technique® is a form of instrument-assisted soft-tissue mobilization (IASTM). Instead of treating soft-tissue restrictions with hands alone, the clinician uses specially designed stainless-steel tools — each contoured to a different region of the body — to assess and treat the affected tissue.

The tools amplify what the practitioner can feel through the skin. Areas of fascial adhesion or chronic fibrosis register as a kind of “grit” or resistance under the instrument, which helps the clinician map the problem more precisely than palpation alone allows. Once located, those restrictions are then treated by working over them with controlled, repeated strokes of the tool.

Graston was developed in the 1990s by an athlete who had used metal tools on his own knee after surgery; the formal protocol and certification curriculum followed shortly after. It’s now one of the most widely taught IASTM systems in chiropractic and sports-medicine settings.

What we use it for

Graston is particularly effective on chronic soft-tissue problems — the kind that have been there for months and aren’t budging with rest, stretching, or hands-only work:

• Tendinopathies — tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, Achilles, patellar tendon
• Plantar fasciitis and other foot/heel pain
• Iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome
• Rotator cuff issues and frozen-shoulder restrictions
• Carpal tunnel-type symptoms related to forearm restrictions
• Scar tissue from previous surgery or injury (once cleared by your surgeon)
• Shin splints and chronic lower-leg pain in runners
• Neck and upper-back tightness from sustained postures

It’s not a first-line treatment for acute injuries — fresh strains and inflamed tissue need a different approach. Graston comes in once the acute phase has settled and the restriction has become chronic.

How a session goes

A Graston session is rarely a standalone appointment — it’s typically used as part of a visit that also includes chiropractic adjustments, other soft-tissue work, or exercise rehabilitation. A typical sequence:

1. Warm-up. Light cardio or motion to bring blood flow into the area. Sometimes we’ll start with a heat pack.
2. Scan. The instrument is glided over the affected area to map restrictions.
3. Treat. The same tool, with adjusted pressure, is used to work over the identified restrictions.
4. Stretch and load. Treatment is immediately paired with stretching and progressive loading exercises that take advantage of the tissue’s improved mobility.

You’ll feel a firm sensation but nothing sharp. Some areas respond with a brief “ouch, that’s the spot” feeling — that’s expected. The instruments are not used aggressively; the goal is targeted, controlled work, not force.

Is Graston safe?

For most people, yes. The technique is non-invasive and the instruments are blunt — they’re not breaking the skin. After a session, the treated area often shows mild redness (called petechiae or transient erythema) which fades within a few hours to a couple of days. Some patients experience light bruising, especially on the first session.

Situations where we’d modify or avoid Graston: active infections, open wounds, unstable fractures, recent surgery (until cleared), severe varicose veins or DVT history in the area, anyone on anticoagulants where bruising is a real concern, and people with conditions that make their skin fragile (some auto-immune conditions, certain medications). Your practitioner will screen for all of this at assessment.

What about results?

Most patients with chronic tendinopathy or fascial restriction notice change within three to six sessions, paired with a structured home program. Graston isn’t a one-and-done treatment — and it works best when combined with the loading work that re-trains the tissue to handle real demand again.

If we’re not seeing the response we expect within that window, we step back, reassess, and either change tactics or refer to imaging or another provider. The honest answer when something isn’t responding is more useful than another session of the same approach.

For more on the technique, see grastontechnique.com.