Does scar tissue hurt? Some of them can be painful, so read further to know the reason for the pain.
Scars are also referred to as adhesions. They are our body’s mechanism of healing in areas that have been physically damaged, torn, or cut because of various reasons.
Scar tissue is made of connective substances known as fascia.
It plays a big role in keeping things together once surgery or injury has impacted certain parts of the body.
While this is a normal process of healing as far as our body is concerned, the problems occur when there is too much formation of scar tissue which could hurt.
Let’s see the reason for its pain and what can bring you relief.
Is it normal for a scar to hurt?
When scar tissue develops more than what is required, it could pull other areas of the body.
This could lead to compression of nerves and could also compress blood vessels. In some cases it could also compress certain internal organs.
This could lead to pain and could also result in restriction of physical movement.
It can negatively hamper physiological functioning. All these factors could lead to dysfunction and pain could become the major concern.
That’s why it is important to know the ways that will mitigate or overcome the problem.
How does scar tissue develop?
It is almost always caused by injury or surgery. However, it also could occur because of inflammation.
Normally the tissue has to form it to help in the healing process. This situation can happen either on the surface or internally.
Painful scar treatment
Whenever a patient comes to the doctor or a trauma clinic with a complaint of scar tissue pain, the main focus would be to release the adhesions which have occurred in the damaged area.
The doctors and health care service providers could use gentle techniques which could help move the stuck fibers apart.
However, before doing so it is vital to find out the exact reasons for the formation of the scar tissue.
Common causes of scars
For example, even in the case of simple keyhole surgery, there could be a formation of a scar.
It could happen internally and therefore may not be visible externally. There are many other reasons which could lead to its formation.
Cuts, accidents, and physical trauma leading to tearing or bruising could lead to scarring.
Childbirth or acne could also be a common reason for it. Inflammation is another reason for the mentioned problem. There could be other reasons too such as ulcers and burns.
When they cross the threshold, they could lead to the formation of painful scar tissue.
What are the symptoms of adhesions?
While the scarred area might look a bit uneven and perhaps even ugly, there are a few more uncomfortable symptoms that you should be aware of.
These symptoms could be painful and troublesome.
Scars can hurt to weather changes
The intensity of pain could vary from person to person. Weather change could also increase the intensity of the pain.
Though the reason for this is not known, this is one of the main attributes as far as scars are concerned.
Does your scar hurt when you touch it?
Yet others could experience pain and uneasiness when it is touched. There could be foggy or cotton wool like feeling around the scarred area.
Numbness
Many people also complain of numbness and they may feel that the damaged area does not belong to their body.
Many of them often develop a psychological fear when they are asked to touch it. If the scar becomes hard over a period of time, it could develop ridges or ravines.
Stiffness and other symptoms
There are many who could complain of stiffness or pain, which they are not able to understand or diagnose. Many people also suffer from:
- Breathing problems
- Back pain
- Digestive complications including irritable bowel syndrome
- Irregular periods and other menstrual problems because of scarred tissue
When should scar treatment start?
Before going in for the treatment, you should have a clear idea of how old is your scar.
The ones that are less than 12 weeks old are not usually treated.
For deeper scars such as visceral or abdominal types, the waiting period is much longer.
Some of them could respond to treatment even after many years.
Cesarean scar treatment
There have been instances where doctors have treated cesarean scars, which are more than 2-3 decades old.
However, the underlying reason for the treatment of these ones is pain and discomfort.
Visceral manipulation therapy for scars
Does scar tissue hurt you? This is the common question to be asked before planning the next course of action.
As far as treatment methods are concerned, the most commonly used method is to go in for a technique that is referred to as myofascial release which also is known as visceral manipulation.
These are effective for their release and also for treating internal adhesions. The process is very gentle and it involves removing and releasing the fascia wherever it is required.
The process is unpainful. Normally 4-6 treatments for approximately one hour are required for releasing the scar tissue.
Cosmetic treatments for scars
Though it is possible to treat them cosmetically, most service providers don’t recommend it.
They believe that scars will heal on their own and intervention would be required only if there is pain and other uncomfortable factors present.
There have been instances where cosmetic treatments have been recommended for removing ridges, bumps, and valleys of some old and deeply embedded scars even without pain.
They are evened out and the outward appearances show significant improvement once the treatment is done properly.
Stop scar tissue pain
There is no doubt that though scarring is a natural process and doesn’t require medical intervention when it starts to hurt and becomes uncomfortable there might be the need to ease out the scars using various time-tested methods.
