Does Muscle Scraping Work?

I recently visited my local spa for a long-overdue sports massage. My left hand, arm, and shoulder had been bothering me due to a 15-year-old injury, and I was hoping to get some relief. Everything went as expected at first, with the massage therapist sprinkling in some deep tissue, trigger point, and Swedish massage techniques. Then she pulled out what looked like a cross between a bowl spatula and a putty knife and began scraping it up and down my arms and legs, paying special attention to my left arm in the area of my old injury.

I had never experienced this during a massage before, so I asked the therapist about it after she was done. “Oh, that was a muscle scraper,” she said. “It’s supposed to improve your circulation and help with pain.” I thought the whole thing sounded a little weird, but when I got home, my arm did indeed feel better. I wondered, was this “muscle scraping” method a legit form of recovery, or just a bunch of “woo”? Could it really help ease the pain of old injuries? I did some investigating, so read on to find out!

What is muscle scraping?

Muscle scraping, or instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) if you’re fancy, involves applying controlled pressure along parts of your body using tools that target specific areas of your muscles, tendons, or ligaments. The practice can be traced all the way back to ancient China where traditional Chinese medicine practitioners would scrape skin with tools made from bone or stone. This practice was called “gua sha”, and it was believed that the scraping helped remove stagnant energy and toxins from the body. In addition, gua sha was used to treat colds and fevers, and was supposed to help with pain, inflammation, and circulation.

In modern times, muscle scraping was popularized amongst sports medicine researchers and physical therapists who started exploring different ways to enhance the effects of soft tissue manipulation. In the 1990s, The Graston Technique was introduced which made muscle scraping even more mainstream. The Graston Technique was invented by David Graston, who was looking for a way to deal with scar tissue and chronic injuries. He himself had a knee injury, and decided to collaborate with healthcare professionals to develop stainless steel instruments that were specifically designed to fit the curves of the body and could work alongside soft tissue therapy.

What does muscle scraping do?

Muscle scraping has a number of supposed benefits. First of all, it’s believed that muscle scraping helps to break down scar tissue that can form due to injuries or overuse. Once the scar tissue is broken down, blood can resume flowing in the area, improving circulation, which helps with nutrient delivery and waste removal in your system. Muscle scraping can also improve your range of motion and your flexibility by relieving tight muscles. Finally, scraping can relieve pain by easing tension and stimulating the release of endorphins, which are your body’s natural pain-killing chemicals.

Muscle scraping is also believed to be a preventative technique. Apparently, scraping can improve the quality of your tissues, making it less likely that you’ll develop chronic pain. Athletes that engage in repetitive activities or motions can develop overuse injuries over time, and muscle scraping can help prevent that as well. Also, muscle scraping that is applied after an intense workout supposedly reduces muscle fatigue and promotes recovery.

Here’s the deal: there hasn’t really been extensive research on muscle scraping yet, so there’s minimal evidence to back up the benefits. However, there’s some promising studies out there, with a few that have shown scraping does work on some level. A 2017 study showed that instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization combined with exercise could improve range of motion and reduce pain in individuals with shoulder impingements. Similarly, a 2019 study found that IASTM used in combination with a rehabilitation program provided improvements in individuals with chronic ankle instability. There was also a 2021 study indicating that IASTM was able to improve range of motion and muscle power in people with tight hips just as effectively as manual stretching.

There are some researchers who believe that the therapeutic after effects of muscle scraping are merely the placebo effect, or caused by the body’s natural response to the minor bruising the technique causes. Another side effect of the muscle scraping is sensations of warmth on the skin, which has been shown to temporarily distract the brain from pain in an injured area. Whatever the reason why, most researchers agree that muscle scraping provides at least some relief from pain.

Can you do muscle scraping at home?

Although muscle scraping is usually done by a body worker, you can absolutely do it at home. Most therapists recommend a 10-minute session 2-3 times per week for athletes looking for preventative and recovery benefits. If you’re looking to work on a chronic injury, however, you’ll need longer, more intense sessions, so it might be wise to consult with a professional before you try it. Also, although muscle scraping is relatively safe, be aware that it can be a bit uncomfortable and cause temporary bruising, redness, or warmth.

If you do want to try out muscle scraping yourself, it’s important to use the right tools. There are many stainless steel or resin scrapers out there that you can use, but The Wave Tool is the best one in my opinion. It was developed by physical therapists who also happen to be rock climbers, and offers many useful edges to scrape with in an easy-to-hold design. If you want to go all out and combine muscle scraping with cupping therapy, you can also try their athletic recovery bundle. Of course, if you’re interested in trying muscle scraping on your own, I’d highly recommend you also pick up some massage cream so that you don’t damage your skin.

Is scraping better than foam rolling?

Scraping shares some similarities with foam rolling, but they are inherently different. Foam rolling works by applying pressure to your muscles and fascia, while a muscle scraper involves manipulating and massaging your soft tissues. A foam roller is also less intense and tends to work on larger parts of the body, while a muscle scraper is more targeted to specific points on the body and can be more extreme in terms of pain and side effects.

Muscle scrapers are also more likely to be used on scar tissue due to the fact that it tends to penetrate deeper into the skin, muscle, and fascia, while foam rollers are good for overall recovery and muscle tightness. In addition, foam rolling is relatively easy to learn and can be done every day, whereas muscle scraping is usually done by a professional, and shouldn’t be used too often or it might cause an injury.

In the end, it appears that muscle scraping might actually be helpful, even though there isn’t much supportive evidence at this point in time. A lot of professional body workers, therapists, and athletes use muscle scraping on themselves and/or their clients successfully and have first-hand experience with the positive effects. There are lots of different methods of recovery and rehabilitation out there, but if you’ve tried using a foam roller or massage gun without any success, then maybe muscle scraping is something to try.