The instrument-assisted soft tissue therapy used by elite athletes — explained without jargon.
Book Graston How It WorksGraston Technique is a form of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) — a manual therapy in which a trained practitioner uses specialized stainless steel instruments to detect, treat, and break down adhesions, scar tissue, and chronic fascial restrictions in muscle and connective tissue.
It was developed in the 1990s by David Graston, an amateur athlete who developed the technique while rehabbing his own knee injury. It's now used by professional sports teams (NBA, NFL, MLB), Olympic athletes, chiropractors, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and increasingly by licensed massage therapists who've completed the certification.
The Graston instruments are six precision-shaped stainless steel tools. Each has a different curve and edge profile designed for a specific anatomical region — from the broad sweeping tool for large back muscles to the small precision tool for around the ankle and wrist.
A Graston session works in two phases:
The practitioner glides the instrument across your skin over the suspected area of restriction. Healthy, well-hydrated tissue feels smooth under the instrument. Restricted tissue — adhesions, scar tissue, fibrotic buildup — produces a distinct grainy, vibrating sensation that the instrument transmits through the practitioner's hand. This is meaningful diagnostic information that's hard to get with hands alone.
Once restrictions are mapped, the practitioner applies targeted shear force across the tissue fibers using the appropriate instrument. The mechanism involves both mechanical disruption of adhesions and a controlled localized inflammatory response that triggers the body's natural repair processes — fresh blood flow, fibroblast activity, and reorganized collagen alignment.
The work is precise. A skilled practitioner doesn't just scrape harder; she identifies specific restriction patterns and works them with the angle, pressure, and instrument designed for that anatomical reality.
For stubborn, long-standing adhesions and dense scar tissue, instruments simply outperform hands. The shear force is more focused, the diagnostic feedback is more precise, and the depth-without-bruising profile is better. For broad relaxation and general tension, hands win. The best therapists combine both.
A Graston session typically lasts 30–60 minutes and is often combined with regular massage. Your practitioner will discuss your symptoms, recent activity, and history. She'll examine the area through movement testing and palpation, then apply a small amount of warming product to the skin (similar to a light massage cream).
The instrument work begins. You'll feel a firm scraping sensation — intense over restricted areas, mild over healthy tissue. Sessions move through detection and treatment phases. Some areas may produce mild redness (petechiae) afterward, which is a sign of restored blood flow and is medically benign.
Your practitioner will finish with movement, often combining the released area with stretching or active exercise to integrate the work. You'll get aftercare instructions: hydrate well, light movement for 24 hours, ice if needed, and (importantly) actually use the freshly released range of motion in normal activity.
These three are often combined and frequently confused. The simple distinctions:
Each addresses different aspects of soft tissue restriction. A skilled therapist will choose — or combine — based on what your body actually needs that day, not what's on the menu.
We offer Graston Technique as a standalone treatment and as an enhancement to therapeutic massage. Our practitioners have completed Graston certification and use the full instrument set.
Common reasons clients book Graston with us: IT band syndrome from running the Riverwalk and Suck Creek Road, plantar fasciitis from long days on feet, climber's elbow from the local bouldering scene, chronic shoulder restriction from desk work, and post-surgical scar tissue rehabilitation.
The most effective configuration. We typically combine Graston with deep tissue massage — Graston addresses the specific restrictions with precision, then manual work integrates the change into the surrounding tissue.
Graston isn't right for every situation. We'll tell you if cupping, regular massage, myofascial stretch, or referral to physical therapy would serve you better. The goal is your actual outcome, not selling you the service you walked in asking about.
It can feel intense, particularly over restricted or scarred tissue, but should never be sharply painful. Most clients describe a strong scraping sensation that becomes increasingly tolerable as tissue releases. Communicate with your practitioner — pressure is adjustable in real time.
Massage uses hands and direct pressure to work muscle and fascia. Graston uses specialized stainless steel instruments that allow the practitioner to detect tissue restrictions more precisely and apply targeted shear force across fibers — addressing adhesions and scar tissue that hands alone often can't reach effectively.
Some clients experience minor redness or light bruising (petechiae) in heavily restricted areas — a sign that blood flow is being restored and adhesions are breaking up. Marks typically fade within a few days. Light Graston work generally leaves no visible mark.
Many clients notice meaningful improvement after a single session, especially for acute conditions. For chronic adhesions or long-standing scar tissue, a series of 4–6 sessions over several weeks is typical, often combined with massage and corrective movement.
Light movement is encouraged the day of your session — walking, gentle stretching, the released range of motion through your normal day. Avoid intense exercise for 24–48 hours so the tissue can settle. Then return to training; the new range of motion is more likely to stick if you use it.
Not at our spa — we're a wellness setting, not a medical practice. Graston performed by physical therapists or chiropractors in clinical settings may be billable through insurance. Check with your provider.