what is muscle scraping

Muscle scraping is a manual therapy technique that is used to accelerate the healing of injured soft tissues such as muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia. It involves using a small tool called a muscle scraper, which is gently dragged over areas of soft tissue to help break up adhesions and scar tissue that have formed as a result of trauma or injuries to the muscles or connective tissues. Muscle scraping can be considered a form of Gua sha, a healing technique used in traditional East Asian medicine to relieve muscle pain and tension. The benefits of muscle scraping include reducing pain by breaking up scar tissues and adhesions and increasing blood flow to promote healing. It is also thought to decrease pain perception through the gate theory of pain, where the scraping motion of the muscle scraper against the skin and soft tissues acts as a counter-irritant and distracts the brain from the presenting pain that you are trying to treat. Most physical therapists report that the primary benefit of muscle scraping is that it can accelerate healing and reduce treatment time. Muscle scraping can be safely performed in the comfort of your own home using a proper tool such as the Sidekick muscle scraper.