Graston is similar to an ancient Chinese system called Gua Sha. Gua means scrape. Stainless steel instruments are used to re-initiate the inflammatory response which for various reasons may not complete the original healing from either an acute injury or chronic repetitive motion injuries. Tendonitis, tendonosis, carpal tunnel, sciatica are but a few of the conditions effectively treated with Graston. Inflammation has gotten a bad rap lately but remember it is vital for proper healing to occur. One danger of taking anti-inflammatory drugs is that they turn the inflammatory process off too much. This leads to incomplete healing and chronic pain after injury or the cumulative injury cycle.
The treatment itself can be combined with ART, Active Release Technique and Rapid Release Instruments to greatly accelerate the treatment of tendonitis, carpal tunnel, shoulder and neck pain, back and leg pain. Numerous studies at such prestigious institutions as Ball State have verified the effectiveness of Graston for the treatment of muscle pain.