Scar Tissue and the Ways it Can Affect Your Body

Cause

There are many different ways that scar tissue can form in the human body: 

• Trauma to the body (either by receiving a cut or a blow to an area)
• Surgery of any variety
• Tearing connective tissue or muscle fibers and then not having correct/enough PT to the areas affected

Another extremely common reason why scar tissue can form is due to atrophy from lack of movement in the area as a form of compensation. Most people compensate after an injury, no matter how well the injury itself was able to heal. This can cause a lot of issues with the musculoskeletal system in general due to the body now having problems not only with the side that is healing, but also with the opposing side having all of the weight being shifted onto it to accommodate the restricted range of motion.  

Effects

The most common side effects of scar tissue that hasn’t healed properly are basically reduced down to pain and dysfunction, reduction in range of motion, as well as an inability to “fire” or engage the muscles that are covered in the scar tissue. When someone is experiencing pain from scar tissue pinning down an area, it will usually feel like the following:

• Radiating, throbbing pain surrounding the area that the scar tissue is encasing (both above and below the original site of injury)
• An acutely awkward sensation with range of motion, almost as though the area is “stuck” and will not perform regular degrees of range of motion without feeling pinched/tweaked
• Reduction in strength or endurance in the musculature that was affected
  • Ex: injury to the wrist will cause lack of “grip strength” in the hand and fingers, as well as a general lack of strength in the entire arm if the scar tissue is not addressed early on either from atrophy or severe compensation in how the arm is now being used

Treatment

Now, a common myth that has been promoted by doctors lately as more and more people have had issues with their body healing properly as a “side effect” of surgeries and such is to have another surgery to “remove” the scar tissue. This is a myth simply due to the way that the human body heals itself (see above description about collagen formations), and therefore will just keep the problem going. So, how does one fully recover from scar tissue developing and get their body back to full working order again?

Well, good news! Scar tissue is NOT something that is permanent and unfixable. A large portion of the population has very debilitating scar tissue pockets or patches that could in fact be opened up again using the manual connective tissue techniques that we do here at Structura. By working on the fascial adhesions that have restricted the tissue as well as utilizing our exercise therapy program to help to encourage a more natural state of movement, this would definitely be a type of chronic issue that can be resolved.

At Structura, we set up a full treatment plan for everything that we work on with clients, and something like opening up scar tissue would be no exception. Depending on where the scar tissue has originated from, we would focus several sessions on, above, and below that initial site to really peel back the fascial layers that are helping to adhere the scar tissue down. Then, we would work on the areas of compensation that have evolved from the lack of mobility the scar tissue has created in your body by now trying to help balance out the rest of your body. Depending on how deep/debilitating the scar tissue has become, just getting the scar tissue open can take quite a bit of time, so keep this in mind while talking to your therapist about a projected treatment plan when coming in for treatment. No matter what, whether it takes us a few weeks or several months to fully get these areas open and moving again, we will do all we can at Structura to help guide you towards living a healthier, balanced and pain-free life again.