Scar tissue is real

Hi everyone,

Let’s talk about scar tissue for a second, because this is something a lot of people hear in treatment rooms and then carry around like a life sentence.

Yes, scar tissue is real. Your body does lay down repair tissue after injury or surgery. That is normal. That is part of healing.

But here’s the important part…
Just because an area has scar tissue does not mean it is permanently damaged, doomed, or the reason you still have pain.

And despite what you may have been told, it is usually not as simple as someone “breaking it up” with their hands.

That idea sounds dramatic, but it is not a very good explanation for what actually helps people feel better.

What often matters more is this…
Can the area move better?
Can it feel less sensitive?
Can your body tolerate movement better?
Can you do more with less pain?
That is the goal.

Sometimes after an injury or surgery, an area can feel stiff, tight, sensitive, or a bit “stuck.” Treatment can absolutely help with that. But the benefit is not usually because someone is smashing apart scar tissue like they are chipping ice off a windshield.

The real win is that the area becomes less reactive, movement gets easier, and your body starts trusting that area again.

That also means if you have pain near an old scar, the scar itself is not always the problem. Sometimes the tissues around it are sensitive. Sometimes the area has become guarded. Sometimes your nervous system is still being a bit overprotective.

So if you have ever been told,
“Your pain is from scar tissue and I need to break it up,”
please know the story is usually more complicated than that.

A more honest way to say it would be…
“This area may still be stiff or sensitive from healing, so let’s work on helping it move better and feel better.”
That is a lot less scary.
And a lot more useful.

All the best, 

Wouter Verweij, RMT 
CEU’s: RAPID NFR – TMJD – Cupping – Hot Stone