graston technique/ active release feedback?

[physqoparty]

I finally got health benefits that cover physical therapy and chiropractic services, looking into either Graston technique and/or active release for some lingering old injuries. Anyone have experience with this type of treatment for injuries such as mine below?


First injury is a broken wrist with torn ligaments on the underneath thumb side. It happened 7 years ago and I still have weakness, less ROM and even some occasional dull pain from time to time. There's definitely some built up scar tissue there....

Second injury is a rotator cuff injury that occurred with 255 on the incline bench. I heard a pop but continued lifting because there was initially no pain or weakness. The next day I could barely lift my left arm. I got an MRI and saw an orthopedic and he diagnosed me with a slight tear of the rotator cuff and/or rotator cuff tendonitis. He also said I had a slight impingement. Treatment was advised as time off from the gym and physical therapy (which I couldn't afford at the time). It slowly got better but I feel discomfort when bench pressing near the front of my shoulder. There's no way I can go down and touch my chest anymore.


Anybody with wrist/shoulder success stories?

[KBKB]

Anybody with wrist/shoulder success stories?

I went to physical therapy for a shoulder issue. I sleep on my side and was having trouble sleeping and night. I also had difficulty raising my right arm to adjust the rear view mirror.

The PT exercises were making me stronger, but were not helping much with the pain. The therapist finally used a technique called ASTYM which, I gather, is similar to the Graston Technique. It made a night & day difference in the pain I was experiencing. After being treated with the ASTYM therapy, my shoulder felt better than it had in many years.

I continued doing the exercises that the physical therapist prescribed for well over a year. (I still do them from time to time.) I had some residual pain in the anterior and lateral deltoid area. Once I learned about trigger point therapy, I discovered that I had trigger points in the infraspinatus. Massaging those trigger points out got rid of the pain in the front of my shoulder, but I was still experiencing pain in the lateral deltoid. Further investigation suggested that I should look for trigger points in the supraspinatus. Massage of the supraspinatus took care of the pain in the lateral deltoid area.

I've had wrist issues on and off too; massage of the forearm extensors or flexors (depending upon where the pain is - for me, it's usually the extensors that give me trouble) has been effective at eliminating wrist pain that comes up from time to time.

The first occasion upon which I tried trigger point therapy for my wrist had some dramatic results. I had been experiencing wrist pain for perhaps two months, probably from doing farmer's carries. I stopped doing farmer's carries and concentrated on kettlebell training. My wrist pain had been getting steadily worse to the point where it hurt a lot just to lift a 20kg kettlebell. There was no way I could've done swings or even held on with that level of pain. I consulted The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook and learned that trigger points in the extensors can cause pain in the part of the wrist where I was feeling it. I placed a LaCrosse ball on a low table and rolled the outer part of my forearm up and down against the LaCrosse ball. Within perhaps twenty seconds, I found an area which was very sore when the LaCrosse ball rolled across it. I stopped and focused on this area, doing smaller rolling motions, working as deeply as I could stand into the area. When I was finished, the pain in my wrist was gone! I could pick up the kettlebell without pain and was able to do my planned workout. In between sets, I performed more massage with the LaCrosse ball on my forearm. I continued that massage for perhaps a week until I could no longer find the trigger point when I rolled the ball back and forth along my forearm.

I think it's likely that ASTYM, Graston, and others help to release trigger points that may be referring pain elsewhere. The different techniques may have other benefits too; I don't know enough about it to say.

[D-3]

I've had bother and both compiled together will be great for both of your injuries. Impingement will go away fairly quick and ROM will increase drastically. Personally I see a chiro; he isn't just a bone cruncher he is actually very well educated in all facets and has so far fixed every single shoulder issue I have ever had.

[physqoparty]

I went to physical therapy for a shoulder issue. I sleep on my side and was having trouble sleeping and night. I also had difficulty raising my right arm to adjust the rear view mirror.

The PT exercises were making me stronger, but were not helping much with the pain. The therapist finally used a technique called ASTYM which, I gather, is similar to the Graston Technique. It made a night & day difference in the pain I was experiencing. After being treated with the ASTYM therapy, my shoulder felt better than it had in many years.

I continued doing the exercises that the physical therapist prescribed for well over a year. (I still do them from time to time.) I had some residual pain in the anterior and lateral deltoid area. Once I learned about trigger point therapy, I discovered that I had trigger points in the infraspinatus. Massaging those trigger points out got rid of the pain in the front of my shoulder, but I was still experiencing pain in the lateral deltoid. Further investigation suggested that I should look for trigger points in the supraspinatus. Massage of the supraspinatus took care of the pain in the lateral deltoid area.

I've had wrist issues on and off too; massage of the forearm extensors or flexors (depending upon where the pain is - for me, it's usually the extensors that give me trouble) has been effective at eliminating wrist pain that comes up from time to time.

The first occasion upon which I tried trigger point therapy for my wrist had some dramatic results. I had been experiencing wrist pain for perhaps two months, probably from doing farmer's carries. I stopped doing farmer's carries and concentrated on kettlebell training. My wrist pain had been getting steadily worse to the point where it hurt a lot just to lift a 20kg kettlebell. There was no way I could've done swings or even held on with that level of pain. I consulted The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook and learned that trigger points in the extensors can cause pain in the part of the wrist where I was feeling it. I placed a LaCrosse ball on a low table and rolled the outer part of my forearm up and down against the LaCrosse ball. Within perhaps twenty seconds, I found an area which was very sore when the LaCrosse ball rolled across it. I stopped and focused on this area, doing smaller rolling motions, working as deeply as I could stand into the area. When I was finished, the pain in my wrist was gone! I could pick up the kettlebell without pain and was able to do my planned workout. In between sets, I performed more massage with the LaCrosse ball on my forearm. I continued that massage for perhaps a week until I could no longer find the trigger point when I rolled the ball back and forth along my forearm.

I think it's likely that ASTYM, Graston, and others help to release trigger points that may be referring pain elsewhere. The different techniques may have other benefits too; I don't know enough about it to say.

Thank you for the extremely detailed response response I will be mentioning ASTYM to my chiro for sure. Glad to hear you have had so much success managing your injuries.

[physqoparty]

I've had bother and both compiled together will be great for both of your injuries. Impingement will go away fairly quick and ROM will increase drastically. Personally I see a chiro; he isn't just a bone cruncher he is actually very well educated in all facets and has so far fixed every single shoulder issue I have ever had.

Thank you sir! Very much the kind of feedback I was hoping to hear