Frozen Graston Treatment
An Answer For Reducing Inflammation, Pain, and Speeding up Healing of Injuries
What is Frozen Graston?
Have you ever seen boxing, UFC, or martial arts match where someone got hit hard in the face, and as soon as they went to the corner, a person was pressing a metal tool on their face?
Well, this tool is there to place pressure on the face to help limit and reduce swelling. In addition, they often keep this tool cold or on ice to help apply pressure with the chilled tool to help rapidly reduce inflammation.
So one night I was having some dinner with some friends and talking about a recent fight/match between two different people and of course the topic of treatment came up. At that moment a sudden idea hit me, why don’t they do Graston Technique (Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization) by freezing the tools to help them reduce the swelling? I mean, if professional boxers, UFC fighters, and other athletes use this modality to reduce swelling immediately, then why not use this as a treatment in the office to help the swelling and reduce pain?
Graston technique already discusses some ways that they can reduce the swelling via using an anti-inflammatory technique but in 10 years of practice, I have never heard about someone using this technique while also freezing the stainless steel tools then performing soft tissue therapy! After some quick online searches, I still found nothing so I figured why not be the first person that I know of to do it?
How Can Frozen Graston Help Me?
Using the Graston Technique can help aid in swelling, reducing pain, and provide an anti-inflammatory approach towards treating soft tissue injuries. This can be great for sprain joints, tendons, tendonitis, muscle strains, and other types of injuries.
In addition to chilling the tools to reduce the swelling, we may also apply an anti-inflammatory oil or gel during the treatment during or even after to help the pain and discomfort you may be having. So all these anti-inflammatory treatments should not only help mobilize the joint and soft tissue, but it can help provide a ton of pain relief and ease the discomfort from your injury.
Does the Treatment Hurt?
No! Although many videos show providers putting patients in pain during the treatment, these treatments should be painless. Sometimes there may be some discomfort but the pain should not occur. If pain occurs, this means that you can be damaging the tissues further and creating an environment that is not conducive to healing. This is especially true if you are applying Graston to reduce swelling via an anti-inflammatory technique, and since this is a special technique that is done when someone newly injures themselves, you should consider having a more therapeutic approach that is less painful.
How Is Frozen Graston Done?
Well, I simply let the tools rest inside the freezer at all times. This ensures that the tools are as cold as possible to allow the anti-inflammatory approach to be as effective as possible. Since the tools will warm up from both the practitioner and yourself, we have to prep you first!
To do this, we first get full access to the site of injury that we will be working on. Next, we apply the oil/lotion or emollient to the area. From this point, we are ready to go and as soon as we get the tools out of the freezer, we start the treatment right away.
Why is it good to Freeze the Tools?
Besides the anti-inflammatory approach, the extreme cold of the tool will also create a numbing like presence during the use. This makes the treatment of the Graston Technique (IASTM) more effective and comfortable for the patient. As long as you can withstand a little cold you should be good to go!
Many patients who are familiar with the Graston Technique have noted that being treated with Frozen tools tends to feel more soothing and comfortable. Some patients feel that it even calms the muscle pain down more effectively.
Who is Graston Used By & How Can It Help Me?
Graston Technique has been used by many individuals all over the world from professional sports teams & Olympic athletes, all the way to those who have just had surgery and are looking to mobilize their tissue as well as break down scar tissue. Graston has been around for 25-30 years and continues to grow and at the time of writing this (2020), I have been Graston Certified for 12 years.
Personally, I have seen people do very well, thrive, and get out of injuries and get back to the things they love using this technique! If you are looking to get out of pain and get back to the things you love, schedule your appointment today!
See you soon!
Dr. Josh
PS To learn more about Graston, Click HERE