We all have the occasional ache and pain – especially those of us who are getting along in years! – however chronic pain is a different beast. Chronic pain is often caused by scar tissue from old injuries that didn’t heal correctly and can be minimized.
Scar tissue restricts flow of blood to the fascia. It feels like a thick, hardened string across the tissue and disrupts the fascia lines. This causes a chain reaction effecting the muscles and joints causing pain from the attachments of muscle and fascia.
Recently I’ve seen several women with back and hip pain. All have had caesarean sections or stretch marks from pregnancy. This caused a lot of scar tissue which over the years has tightened the muscle lines pulling on their backs and/or hips. By releasing the scar tissue through manipulation and palpation, the scar tissue dissipates and the pain and tenderness decreases.
I’ve also seen a number of women with frozen shoulders or shoulder restrictions. Again, scar tissue is the culprit. It can be from breast surgeries, fluctuating weight, or even from wearing bras with underwires.
You’ll notice one thing in common here – lots of scar tissue is based off older surgeries. In many cases, the chronic pain isn’t associated in the same area as the surgery it’s not an easy connection. Over the years I’ve seen people who have had hip and knee replacements experiencing chronic pain in other areas of the body – including along the spine, shoulders and neck. This is far enough away that it’s not an easy connection, but the scar tissue impinges on the fascia lines which run all the way up the body. When the scar tissue impacts those fascia lines it changes the tracking of joints and it throws them out of alignment, causing pain. Using manual palpations along the joint, you can decrease the pain and even follow the tension to find the scar tissue that needs release.
So you can see old injuries often are the root cause of the new ones – it may not be just aging or that new tennis game you picked up! Bodywork creates relief, often felt after the first session, although the number of sessions needed to permanently reverse the problem depends on the depth of the scar tissue.
