Scar Tissue Impact in your body, brain, and nervous system

Scar Tissue Impact on Your Body

By Dr. Jennifer Melancon, PT, DPT

Scars impact your body, brain, and nervous system in a huge way. Did you know that scar tissue can cause chronic pain and movement issues for many people?

Scar tissue causes your nervous system to have extra stress. Your brain is an excellent scorekeeper. It remembers all the times you get injured or experience trauma. It stores trauma in scars, even small ones from years ago. You may not remember how you got a scar as a child, but your brain does. It is important to address the trauma surrounding scars so the body can release the stress it is carrying.

Physically, scar tissue can impact proper lymphatic and electrical flow in your body. It can limit motion in the skin, connective tissue, joints, and organs. This is important because when organs don’t move well, they don’t function as well.

Human movement is driven by the sensory stimulus. The skin is the largest organ. Receptors in the skin, muscles, and joints help the brain know where our body is in space. When the skin is damaged, the brain gets different sensory inputs. Because of this, it recruits muscles differently to perform desired movement tasks.

It is never too late to work on a scar. I have helped many people who had surgeries or skin trauma (tattoos, piercings, burns, etc…) years or decades ago to improve their strength, decrease pain, and heal from trauma. For example, I often see women who have had C-sections or hysterectomies present with chronic low back pain. Their scars tend to have limited movement, and there is often a traumatic event associated with the scars. I teach them The Scar Lady Protocol, and often they have much less pain and improved balance/core strength shortly after starting the Protocol.

If you have scars and do not have pain, it is good to preventatively address your scar tissue. This can help you decrease the risk of future injuries. For more information, check out the resources at www.thescarlady.com to learn how to help your scars from a physical and emotional level.