Some tissue restrictions respond better to a precision instrument than to hands alone. Graston-style instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization finds and treats them — as part of a complete plan.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Thomas Kleingartner, PT, DPT · August 2026
The Graston Technique is a form of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM): a physical therapist uses contoured stainless-steel instruments to detect and treat restricted muscle, tendon, and fascia. Research shows short-term gains in range of motion and reductions in pain, with best results when combined with exercise. RISE Physical Therapy offers instrument-assisted soft tissue work in one-on-one, 45-minute sessions in Boise and Nampa, Idaho.
The Graston Technique is the best-known form of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) — a treatment in which a trained clinician glides contoured stainless-steel instruments along muscle, tendon, and fascia. The instruments do two jobs at once: they amplify what the clinician can feel (restricted, fibrotic tissue produces a distinct texture through the tool) and they deliver controlled shear force precisely where the restriction lives.
If you've heard of gua sha — the traditional scraping technique — IASTM is its modern clinical descendant, applied with anatomical intent and paired with exercise rather than used as a stand-alone ritual.
IASTM appears to work through controlled stimulation of the tissue: the instrument's shear force increases local blood flow, stimulates the cells that remodel connective tissue, and reduces the nervous system's guarding of the area. Clinically, that shows up as freer tissue glide and less pain with movement — a window we immediately fill with loading, so the change becomes lasting adaptation rather than a pleasant afternoon.
The IASTM evidence base is younger and more mixed than for exercise or manual therapy, and we think you deserve the straight version:
IASTM produced significant short-term gains in range of motion, with support for improving pain and patient-reported function in injured patients.
View study →In studies comparing IASTM groups to non-IASTM groups for musculoskeletal pain, the IASTM groups showed statistically and clinically significant pain reduction.
View study →Earlier reviews found inconsistent results across mixed-quality studies — a reminder that IASTM is an adjunct, not a miracle.
View study →Our takeaway: IASTM earns its place for specific, stubborn restrictions — chronic tendinopathies, scar tissue, fascial adhesions — inside a plan built on loading, never instead of one.
An instrument is only as good as the assessment behind it. In 45-minute one-on-one sessions, instrument-assisted work is targeted to restrictions your exam actually reveals — then immediately backed with the loading that makes tissue change stick.
Movement testing and tissue palpation find exactly where glide is lost.
Precision instrument work mobilizes the restricted tissue at the right dose for its stage.
Progressive loading tells the tissue how to rebuild — stronger and more mobile.
Precision soft tissue treatment inside a real plan of care — no referral needed in Idaho.
Thomas earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy at South College in Knoxville and specializes in lower-extremity post-operative care, sports rehab, and orthopedic conditions at RISE. Meet the full team →
