Scars from Surgeries or Injuries

Scar tissue is a dense layering of Collagen fibers. They are used to knit together the borders and edges of cuts, and strengthen ligaments, tendons, and muscles when they are stretched and injured. They are super strong, but the two main problems is that they indiscriminately attach to anything in their vicinity, and they tend to deposit in several directions.

The varied layers of different tissues in the body are designed to slide against each other, which allow us to use our full range of motion. Scar tissue can adhere to multiple layers, essentially bonding them together. This can result in reduced range of motion, reduced blood circulation, changes in function, and feelings of tightness and discomfort.

Scar tissue is strongest when all the fibers are aligned in the same direction. This is most important when the scar tissue is in a muscle, ligament, or tendon. Because scar tissue deposits all over the injury site, it is common for the fibers to have many different directions resulting in a weaker repair.

A third complication is when scars form into types called Keyloid and Hypertrophic scars. Both are types of scars where too much collagen was deposited too quickly. Both types can be restrictive, painful, and unsightly.

Massage Therapy has been successfully utilized in scar management. Treatment outcomes include an increase to scar mobility, reduction in movement restriction, improvement to blood circulation and tissue health, increase in strength, and an improvement in the appearance and colour of the scar.

Unfortunately, there is a lack of reliable and consistent research regarding the treatment of scars with Massage Therapy. This means that there isn't a lot of information to guide the decisions regarding how often scars should receive therapy and for how long. Positive outcomes have been reported with as little as 10 minutes each session whenever the sessions occur, to as much as daily sessions.