Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Graston Technique
It was a regular day in my office when the chiropractor walks in proud of his new discovery and training: The Graston Technique.
He showed me the instruments used and the method employed for treating scar tissues, trigger points, and pain ranging from neck to ankle.
The technique consists of rubbing a piece of metal against the skin which immediately reminded me of Gua Sha…. Gua Sha? What is Gua Sha?
Gua Sha is an East Asian healing technique in which the skin is rubbed with a round-edged instrument in downward strokes.. Gua means to scrape or rub. Sha is a reddish”millet-like” skin rash (aka petechiae). Sha is the term used to describe Blood stasis in the subcutaneous tissue before and after it is raised as petechiae. Gua Sha is used for many conditions including; back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, common colds and influenza.
After his short demonstration and explanation I realized that the Graston Technique is not as innovative as they want to make it look like; but I am glad to hear that the Chinese techniques are infiltrating the Western Medical world with different names….that will open the eyes to world of how intelligent were the Ancient Chinese doctors that they techniques are being used nowadays.
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2 comments:
Graston sessions are quick, lasting between 2-10 minutes; though a couple of minutes of Graston treatment feels like an hour of deep tissue massage. I typically see improved range of motion of 15% to 20% at the end of the first Graston session and pain is noticeably reduced. I continue treatments until the patient achieves sufficient flexibility and movement, or is demonstrating a substantial decrease in pain. Best results are achieved when treatments are applied two days a week for an average of 4-5 weeks, with most patients noticing a positive response by the 3rd and 4th treatment.
I have a rotated cuff tear and arthritis in my shoulder. After 2 visits per week for 5 weeks I am pain free. The inflammation has gone down. Full ROM :). It really worked for me!!
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