I am always looking to try and learn new things.  There seems to be so much buzz around soft tissue mobilization and release on the blogs and web these days.  The longer I practice and treat soft tissue injuries, the more convinced I become of the importance of releasing trigger points and myofascial restrictions.

One of the therapists who works alongside of me every day recently attended a Graston® training course.  For those unfamiliar, this is a form of instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) utilizing convex and concave instruments to resolve fascial restrictions that are often present and a source of pain/tightness.

I volunteered to have her work on my IT band immediately when she returned from the course.

Click here to see a short video clip

graston-itb-2

While I have utilized foam rolling, the Stick, deep tissue massage and most forms of stretching, this was a first for me.  I must admit, the instruments Liz used seem to find every single tender and gritty spot in my IT Band. Yes, there was some mild discomfort at times.  But, the treatment lasted 3 minutes or so and I felt much less tightness and soreness the very next day.

Many people see good results in as few as 3-4 sessions, but results vary.  Consider IASTM another tool to place in your collective tool box.  It is a great adjunct to stretching, strengthening and corrective exercise. There are other methods out there (SASTM and Gua sha to name a few) but I am not addressing them here today.

If you have specific questions or want more info on GT, visit the link below:

Graston® Frequently Asked Questions

If you are an endurance athlete or someone who has been struggling with chronic soft tissue pain or tendinitis, and have not yet tried this, I might suggest looking into this as it may be a missing link in your rehab plan. If you have personal experiences with the GT, I would love to hear about them.