Graston Technique in Burke VA

How important is the fascial system in Burke VA? Maybe a better question is what exactly is the fascial system? The fascial system is a three-dimensional web that surrounds and infuses all the physical structures of our bodies. It connects every part of the body to another, gives support and stability, and allows for flexibility and motion. This tough connective tissue acts as a shock absorber in the body. All of these definitions provide enough sound reason to allow us to understand how important the fascial system is, but unfortunately in most anatomy textbooks only local areas of fascia are described and their increasingly important functions are undermined. As more research is conducted, it has been established that the basic function of joints, muscles, organs, and tendons require a healthy and normalized fascial system.

Graston Technique and Fascia Go Hand-In-Hand in Burke VA

Think about this. Every time we use a muscle by moving, exercising – whatever we do physically throughout the day – more than 30% of the force generated by the muscle is transmitted by the connective tissue we call fascia. The normal stretching of the fascia thus communicates the force of the muscle contraction and the status of the muscle regarding its tone, movement, rate of change in the muscle length, and position of the associated body part to the central nervous system (CNS).

Additionally, other facts about fascia include:

• It stores all past traumas to occurred to the connective tissue
• It’s not connected to the brain, and therefore can only be felt by using your hand to feel it by pressing on the skin.
• Fascia had amazing tensile strength, which means the maximum stress that a material can withstand while being stretched or pulled before failing or breaking. Dense Fascia can hold up to 8x more strength than muscle.
• Most energy efficient material in the body

So, what happens when this tremendous tissue becomes overstretched, injured, or even torn? The fascia loses its pliability. It becomes tight, restricted, dense, and a source of tension to the rest of the body. Trauma, such as a fall, car accident, whiplash, surgery or just habitual poor posture and repetitive stress injuries has cumulative effects on the body. The changes trauma causes in the fascial system influences comfort and function of our body. Fascial restrictions can exert excessive pressure causing all kinds of symptoms producing pain, headaches or restriction of motion. Fascial restrictions affect our flexibility and stability, and are a determining factor in our ability to withstand stress and perform daily activities.

To treat these types of fascia injuries, Chiropractors use instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM). One type of IASTM is called Graston Technique®. Graston Technique is a instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization treatment that enables clinicians to effectively break down scar tissue and fascial restrictions. The idea of Graston is to actually introduce a controlled amount of microtrauma to the fascial system, and as a result, change the tone of the fascia.

If you are suffering from a muscle or tendon injury give our office a call at (703) 912-7822.