Graston technique?

August 27, 2008 10:09 PM

Has anyone had any experiences with the Graston Technique of chiropractic care?

I've had a sore achilles tendon (though I'm told it's not "classic" achilles tendonitis) since December and have bounced from physical therapist to physical therapist, with little success. Recently, my naturopath suggested seeing a chiropractor who uses the Graston Technique, but I'm a little hesitant to try it since I'm told there's some pain involved. (Metal implements? Yipes!) Does anyone have any information or experiences to share that might help me decide whether to give it a shot?

posted by Janey Complainy to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

My advice would be to stick with regulated professionals and steer clear of naturopaths and chiropractors.
posted by SciencePunk at 2:36 AM on August 28, 2008 [5 favorites]

Best answer: I was suffering from something similar several years ago and a PT working in one of the local sports medicine clinics performed this technique (or something very similar) on my Achilles and heels. It is painful at times, but it worked. She used it in combination with ice and stretching over a period of a few weeks.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:41 AM on August 28, 2008

Seconding SciencePunk's advice. Avoid anything that's not clearly evidence-based, or that involves criticism of/opposition to so-called "mainstream medicine".
posted by PTCHFRKR at 6:00 AM on August 28, 2008

Best answer: I've gone to an excellent chiropractor for years and benefited greatly. I'm fairly certain he doesn't use the Graston technique, but his website has a lot of good information that might be helpful. Feel free to email me, if you have more questions.
posted by katemcd at 1:09 PM on August 28, 2008