Graston Technique with Gua Sha Jade tools and Roller after Mandibulectomy

My mandibular cancer story is unique. It is believed to started with and impacted wisdom tooth. As a result of having an incredible oral surgeon named James Tauberg who not only took a biopsy when he was removing the wisdom tooth, but he all resected all but two of the cancer cells during that surgery. Of course, there was no way of knowing that at the time, so I had a fibula free flap mandibular resection done at Cleveland Clinic by an incredibly talented team of surgeons and staff. As a result of Dr Tauberg;s work I did no require radiation or chemo after the surgery. As a result some of the techniques and aggressive treatment of the scar tissue is possible in my case. You CASE MAY BE DIFFERENT. As with everything that involves ENT surgery you should absolutely discuss this with your doctors before you have any treatments done. This video is what works for my case and it's had some amazing results. A mandibulectomy can involve moving, re routing or replacing arteries. You definitely do not want to rupture anything so get some instructions from your doctors and physical therapists before doing anything on your own. Gua Sha is a skincare technique that’s derived from traditional Chinese medicine and is similar to the Graston Technique. Gua Sha is said to increase blood flow and improve lymphatic drainage. The Graston Technique is a form of manual therapy known as soft-tissue instrument-assisted mobilization. It is one of a number of manual therapy approaches that uses instruments with a specialized form of massage/scraping the skin gently. The general goals of the therapy are to reduce pain and increase function through a combination of: Breaking down the scar tissue and fascia restrictions that are usually associated with some form of trauma to the soft tissue. (e.g., a strained muscle or a pulled ligament, tendon, or fascia). *. Reducing restrictions by stretching connective tissue in an attempt to rearrange the structure of the soft tissue being treated (e.g., muscle, fascia, tendons, ligaments). There also appears to be a neurologic benefit to treating patients with the Graston Technique Instruments. This response is similar to that involved with other manual therapies. The literature suggests that when a patient is given manual or instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) therapy, certain nerve fibers are activated. Additionally, the body's position sense organs, such as mechanoreceptors and proprioceptors, seem to respond to these forms of treatment. It has helped me a great deal since my fibula free flap mandibular resection I had as a result of squamous cell carcinoma in my jaw that was discovered after I had an impacted wisdom tooth removed. My wonderful physical therapist at UPMC Sports Medicine helped me make this vide so I could learn to use Gua Sha jade tools to work on my scar tissue on my neck and release the tightness in the underlying fascia and muscles. I thought perhaps that others folks who have head or neck cancer might also find it helpful