Picture Courtesy of Rob Crampton James River Myofasclai Release
Did you know that scars can generate adhesions, which can cause pain in other areas of the body?
When the body is cut, whether it is from the sharp edge of a surgeon’s knife, or from something else, the fabric of the body is interrupted.
In my practice, I see a lot of scars. People usually do not come in initially to have them treated; usually it’s a complaint of back, knee, hip, or neck pain. Unbeknownst to them, their scar is playing into the problem.
The healing process after surgery or an accident can result in adhesions. Adhesions are where parts of the body get stuck to other parts (on the inside) that should not be stuck. I use the analogy of gum in your hair, or glue on a sweater to get the idea. Imagine the fibers that once were lovely and mobile are now one clump moving around as one. When parts get clumped together by the ‘adhesion’ it no longer moves smoothly or independently, it’s lost its viscosity and can generate tension all through your body. Communication within the clump becomes confused and the nervous system starts to recognize something is wrong and signals to the brain there’s a problem. At which point, this can result in the experience of pain or change the way your body moves; because fascia has a great deal of tensile strength the tension by the adhesions, pulls bones, joints and organs out of their position and affecting their function.
How do we fix it?
Many manual therapists get taught a protocol for such things as scars, sometimes these protocols work, sometimes they don’t. Often they don’t because you are unique and not a protocol and your body needs to be listened to for what process is best.
It’s important to listen to the tissue and help the tissue find it’s way home. I do this through light touch. Light touch has been shown to create cellular change by the process called mechanotransduction, where forces (light or heavy) are translated via the continuous fascia (which covers all structures in the body), right down to the inside of the cell. It would seem that this is part of how Scar work and Myofasical Release affects the tissues and often the results speak for itself.
You can make an appointment with me for a Scar assessment online at www.gillianhansen.com or by calling 913.787.0518.