Soft Tissue

Graston Technique

Instrument-assisted soft-tissue work that finds and breaks down the scar tissue hands can miss.

Locations
Graston Technique at Rehab Lab

Graston Technique uses smooth stainless-steel instruments to work along a muscle or tendon and find areas of scar tissue and restriction. The tool lets us feel and treat dense, stuck tissue more precisely than fingers alone, then break it down so the area can heal and move properly.

It is a go-to for chronic, fibrous problems, old strains that never fully cleared, tendon pain, and tight fascia that keeps limiting your range.

How instrument-assisted work helps

Scar tissue is the body patching an injury, but the patch is stiff and disorganized. Graston instruments let us locate those rough patches and apply a controlled stroke that signals the body to remodel them into healthier, more flexible tissue.

We almost always combine it with movement and strength work, because breaking down the old tissue only sticks if you rebuild the area to handle load again.

Common uses

Good to know

Graston Technique questions

Will Graston leave bruising?

Some redness is normal and expected, it means blood flow is increasing in the area. Occasional light bruising can happen, but we work at a depth your tissue tolerates, not to a goal of bruising.

How is it different from ART?

ART uses the doctor’s hands plus your movement. Graston uses an instrument to find and treat denser, more fibrous tissue. Many patients get both in the same plan because they solve slightly different problems.

What does Graston feel like during treatment?

A firm scraping pressure over the affected tissue, sometimes with a gritty sensation where the adhesion is. It is intense in a localized way but brief. We adjust pressure to what you can tolerate while breathing normally, because bracing against the treatment defeats the purpose.

Why does the instrument find sore spots I did not know about?

Because the tool transmits texture in a way fingers cannot, so it locates restrictions that are not yet symptomatic. Finding a spot you did not know was there usually means we have found part of the reason the area you came in for is overloaded. That is useful information, not a bad sign.

How soon after Graston can I train?

Light activity the same day is fine and usually helpful. We would hold off on a hard session for 24 to 48 hours over the treated area, because the tissue is mid-remodel. If an event or a game is close, tell us and we will time the treatment around it.

How many Graston sessions does a chronic problem take?

Commonly four to six over two to three weeks for a longstanding tendon or fascia problem, paired with loading exercise. The instrument work reduces the restriction; the exercise is what rebuilds the tissue’s tolerance. Without the second half the problem tends to return.

Is Graston safe on a recent injury?

Not immediately over an acute injury, no. Fresh tissue needs to consolidate first, and we work around the area rather than on it in the early days. Once the acute phase has passed, instrument work becomes genuinely useful for preventing the restriction that otherwise sets in.

Which of your doctors are Graston certified?

Dr. Sam Wagner, who is also a Corrective Exercise and Performance Enhancement Specialist, Dr. Michael Markowski, certified in Graston MI and Craniofacial Release, and Dr. Mike Giammarco. Ask at booking if you would rather see one of them specifically.

Ready to fix the cause, for good?

Book at our Wauwatosa or Appleton clinic and get a real plan from a doctor who treats you like a teammate.

Locations

Wauwatosa · Appleton · No referral needed