Can an Old Scar Still Affect You?

How scar therapy may help with tightness, sensitivity and restricted movement

A scar is a natural part of the body’s healing process. However, even after a wound has completely healed, some people continue to notice tightness, numbness, sensitivity or discomfort around the area. The skin may also feel less mobile than the surrounding tissue.

What is scar tissue?

When the skin or deeper tissues are injured through surgery or trauma, the body produces collagen to repair the area. The resulting scar tissue may be firmer and less flexible than the original tissue.

Some scars cause no problems at all, while others may remain sensitive or feel restricted during everyday movement.

Scars that may benefit from assessment include those following:

• Caesarean section

• Abdominal or keyhole surgery

• Mastectomy or other breast surgery

• Joint replacement

• Accidents, burns or other injuries

Both newer and older scars can be assessed, provided the wound has completely healed.

What does scar therapy involve?

Scar therapy is a gentle, hands-on treatment. It does not involve forcefully breaking down scar tissue or attempting to remove the scar.

The appearance, sensitivity and mobility of the scar and surrounding tissues are assessed first. Gentle techniques are then applied within your comfort to encourage movement between the skin and underlying tissues and help the area feel less sensitive or restricted.

What does the research tell us?

Research into manual scar therapy is still developing. Small studies involving Caesarean section and other abdominal surgical scars have reported changes in scar mobility, pressure sensitivity and some measures of tissue flexibility following soft-tissue mobilisation.

Research involving burn scars has also found possible benefits for pain, itching and scar thickness. However, different types of scars cannot be directly compared, and treatment methods vary considerably between studies. As much of the existing research is small or preliminary, further high-quality research is still needed.

Looking beyond the scar

A scar does not necessarily require treatment, and its appearance alone cannot tell us whether it is contributing to a person’s symptoms.

During an osteopathic appointment, the scar can be considered alongside the surrounding muscles, joints and overall movement. For example, when assessing an abdominal scar, it may also be helpful to examine movement through the lower back, pelvis, hips and abdominal region.

Treatment can then be tailored to the individual rather than focusing only on the scar.

Is scar therapy suitable for everyone?

Scar therapy should only be performed once the wound has fully closed and healed. Treatment should not be carried out if there is bleeding, discharge, increasing redness, heat, unexplained swelling or another possible sign of infection.

If your scar is still healing or you are concerned about its appearance, you should speak to your GP, surgeon or another appropriate healthcare professional first.

If you have a fully healed scar that feels tight, sensitive or uncomfortable, or you are curious about whether it may be affecting your movement, scar therapy can be incorporated into an osteopathic appointment.

References

Gilbert, I., Gaudreault, N. and Gaboury, I. (2022) ‘Exploring the effects of standardized soft tissue mobilization on the viscoelastic properties, pressure pain thresholds, and tactile pressure thresholds of the Cesarean section scar’, Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 28(4), pp. 355–362. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1089/jicm.2021.0178.

Kelly, R.C., Armstrong, M., Bensky, A., Foti, A. and Wasserman, J.B. (2019) ‘Soft tissue mobilization techniques in treating chronic abdominal scar tissue: A quasi-experimental single subject design’, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 23(4), pp. 805–814. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2019.04.010.

Lin, T.R., Chou, F.H., Wang, H.H. and Wang, R.H. (2023) ‘Effects of scar massage on burn scars: A systematic review and meta-analysis’, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 32(13–14), pp. 3144–3154. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.16420.

Lubczyńska, A., Garncarczyk, A. and Wcisło-Dziadecka, D. (2023) ‘Effectiveness of various methods of manual scar therapy’, Skin Research and Technology, 29(3), article e13272. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/srt.13272.