Jim MacKay uses his hands a lot. He’s a mechanic, but thought he’d have to give it up, after a case of tennis elbow caused excruciating pain in both of his forearms.
He decided to try a new form of physical therapy called the Graston Technique.
“The first couple of treatments were quite painful, mainly I think because I was in so much pain,” says MacKay.
Stainless steel patented instruments are used on the body to treat a number of common ailments including neck and back pain, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome and plantar fasciitis.
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“It’s closer to massage than anything else, really,” says Dr. David Labchuk, a Calgary chiropractor certified in the technique.
The instruments are vigorously rubbed over the affected area, to deliver a “controlled injury”, which promotes healing and allows healthier tissue to develop.
“The basic idea is to break down scar tissue, the connective tissue on the surface of the muscle… that’s where they believe the source of chronic pain is, in the connective tissue, not the muscle itself,” says Labchuk.
Skin reddens because of the friction, and one or two days of pain following the treatment is expected. But many patients say they can put up with the discomfort, if it relieves their chronic pain problem.
“The outcome is well worth it, ” says Ted Pietryka, who suffers from plantar fasciitis, a common condition affecting tissue along the bottom of your foot .
He says his foot is now 100%, and he’s able to walk, run and workout.
Labchuk says it usually takes between two and twelve treatments for patients to notice a difference. The first session costs $45, and $32 after that.
Dr. Labchuk can be reached at the Soft Tissue Rehab Centre at 248-7907.
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