As a Sports Chiropractor in Portland there is a great demand to have an effective soft tissue therapy. A sports physician must be able to treat muscle, tendon, ligament, scar tissue, fascia, and other soft tissues. Many of you know I have been using Graston Technique to effectively treat different soft tissue injuries. Graston is extremely effective with running, cycling, swimming, and other sports injuries. Here is some specific information about Graston Technique.

Graston Technique® is an interdisciplinary treatment used by more than 7,500 clinicians worldwide—including athletic trainers, chiropractors, hand therapists, occupational and physical therapists.

GT is utilized at some 825 out-patient facilities and industrial on-sites, by more than 125 professional and amateur sports organizations, and is part of the curriculum at 32 respected colleges and universities.

The Graston Technique®, originally developed by athletes, is changing the way clinicians — including athletic trainers, chiropractors, physical therapists, occupational therapists — and patients view treatment of acute and chronic soft tissue injuries.

Graston Technique® is an innovative, patented form of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization that enables clinicians to effectively break down scar tissue and fascial restrictions. The Technique utilizes specially designed stainless steel instruments to specifically detect and effectively treat areas exhibiting soft tissue fibrosis or chronic inflammation.

The curvilinear edge of the patented Graston Technique® Instruments combines with their concave/convex shapes to mold the instruments to various contours of the body. This design allows for ease of treatment, minimal stress to the clinician's hands, and maximum tissue penetration.

The Graston Technique® Instruments, much like a tuning fork, resonate in the clinician's hands allowing the clinician to isolate adhesions and restrictions, and treat them very precisely. Since the metal surface of the instruments does not compress as do the fat pads of the finger, deeper restrictions can be accessed and treated. When explaining the properties of the instruments, we often use the analogy of a stethoscope. Just as a stethoscope amplifies what the human ear can hear, so do the instruments increase significantly what the human hands can feel.

Graston Technique® offers many advantages and benefits.

For the clinician:

Provides improved diagnostic treatment
Detects major and minor fibrotic changes
Reduces manual stress; provides hand and joint conservation
Increases patient satisfaction by achieving notably better outcomes

For the patient:

Decreases overall time of treatment
Fosters faster rehabilitation/recovery
Reduces need for anti-inflammatory medication
Resolves chronic conditions thought to be permanent

For employers and the healthcare industry:

Allows patients to remain on the job
Reduces the need for splints, braces and job-site modifications
Contributes to reduction of labor and healthcare costs, direct and indirect

Clinical Applications of the Patented GT Instruments

The Graston Technique® (GT) Instruments, while enhancing the clinician's ability to detect fascial adhesions and restrictions, have been clinically proven to achieve quicker and better outcomes in treating both acute and chronic conditions, including:

Cervical sprain/strain (neck pain)	Lumbar sprain/strain (back pain)
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (wrist pain)	Plantar Fasciitis (foot pain)
Lateral Epicondylitis (tennis elbow)	Medial Epicondylitis (golfer's elbow)
Rotator Cuff Tendinitis (shoulder pain)	Patellofemoral Disorders (knee pain)
Achilles Tendinitis (ankle pain)	Fibromyalgia
Scar Tissue	Trigger Finger
Shin Splints