Scar Tissue – Treating Scars and Adhesions After Injury or Surgery
Scars are the natural result of the skin and deeper tissues healing after a wound, injury or surgery. Sometimes they become tight, painful or limit movement, and then physiotherapy can help improve how the tissues move.
What scar tissue is
When tissues are injured, the body repairs them with new connective tissue. This tissue is denser and less elastic than the original and is called a scar. Scars form on the skin as well as in deeper layers – muscles, tendons and fascia.
Some scars stay soft and barely noticeable, while others become tight, raised or painful. Sometimes adhesions also form – tissues that stick together and lose their ability to glide. This can limit the movement of a nearby joint or muscle and create a pulling sensation.
Scars do not disappear completely, but in many people their mobility and related complaints improve with targeted therapy and movement. The result depends on the type of scar, its age and individual factors.
How scars form and what influences them
- surgery, for example a caesarean section or joint operation
- a wound, cut or burn
- an injury with a torn muscle or tendon
- too little movement during healing
- an individual tendency towards denser scarring
- infection or delayed wound healing
How it shows up
- a tight or hard scar
- a pulling sensation with movement
- tenderness or pain on touch
- itching or burning around the scar
- limited range of movement in a nearby joint
- numbness or altered sensation around the scar
How we can help
After assessing the scar and the surrounding area, we use manual therapy and therapeutic massage to improve tissue mobility and, in suitable cases, ultrasound, laser, shockwave therapy or TECAR. Therapeutic exercise helps restore movement of nearby joints and muscles. If a scar needs a doctor’s assessment, we will refer you to a specialist.
When to see a doctor
Work on a scar starts only once the wound has fully healed and your doctor agrees. See a doctor if the scar is red, warm, swollen or discharging, or if you develop a fever. Advice is also needed for a scar that grows quickly, is very painful or changes, as well as for any change in colour or shape of an existing scar.
This page is for information only and does not replace an assessment by a specialist.