STAR Clinic Physical Therapy specializes in manual treatment, and practices traditional protocols. Each new patient is carefully assessed to formulate a customized treatment plan. Often that assessment reveals surgical scars that can benefit from targeted attention.
Scars respond to mobilization as early as three weeks post-operatively, or even years later. Scars cause problems in two major ways. They can adhere to the bone and wrap around organs, or adhere to the skin, causing a rigidity and lack of movement. Often scars are painful, and if not treated, can activate a lifetime of chronic discomfort.
Patients who may benefit from soft tissue mobilization have had tumors removed, open-heart surgery, laparoscopies, episiotomies, mastectomies, lumpectomies, axilla dissections, arthroscopic surgeries or especially, abdominal incisions.
Scar tissue manipulation can have positive and dramatic affects. The myofascial release method is a form of stretching. It involves slowly elongating broad areas of the body, relieving tensions involving muscle and the fascia.
Stretching and modified yoga positions can be extremely effective and soothingly restorative for the patient. Skin rolling is used to unbind the top skin layers from the underlying layers. At times, ultrasound to the scar site can help alleviate stubborn adhesions.
At STAR Clinic, patients are taught how to effectively work on their own scars by picturing the image of a clock on the site, learning to push the scar in various directions. Patients become adept at finding the directions of personal ease and restriction for increased scar mobility and self-treatment at home.
Scar mobilization is just one of the manual techniques practiced at STAR Clinic. We are dedicated to being part of a coordinated effort to provide quality care and successful rehabilitation.