Gua Sha is an ancient Chinese technique that means scraping, and it is used primarily on the “yang areas” of the body such as the back, neck, shoulders, buttocks and limbs. This type of scraping brings heat to the areas of focus, and allows the body to express that release and illiminate toxins. There are also different types of bruising that can occur with this that indicates what’s happening in the body. Graston technique was developed by David Graston to break up fibrosis and scar tissue build up in specific areas of the body. The tools used to Graston are stainless steel, and the technique creates inflammation around damaged tissues and allows the body to re-heal the area another time. The technique itself can cause microtrauma to adhesions and scar tissue, but it allows the body to reprocess the original problem area or injury that occurred. At Austin Community Wellness, Dr. Sarah & Shane use a combination of Graston & Gua Sha with stainless steel tools as they have been trained in both techniques. These techniques are not recommended for those who prefer or can’t handle deeper techniques, but they are incredibly effective for chronic & non responsive conditions. These techniques have had success with such conditions as frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel, sciatica, locked knees, plantar faciitis & other nerve entrapment syndromes. Our goals in our clinic are always designed to bring balance back to the body, so you leave here functioning optimally to live your best life.