Scar Tissue Reduction

[someblokecalleddave]

My son (cricket player) was run down by a car back in April and suffered a badly smashed up leg

He suffered three large wounds on the leg and only now after months of treatment are these wounds sealing and becoming scars as opposed to open wounds. Today he's been able to come home without any bandage covering the leg and only has two large water-proof plasters and this evening as he went to bed he ran his hand up and down the leading edge of his Tibia and realised that rather than being the smooth regular sensation that he'd have expected he felt an irregular rough sensation and said that it looked lumpy and got upset at the prospect of his leg being like this for ever-more. I felt it and from what's been said by the consultant surgeon I would imagine that the sensation is scar tissue as the bones would have been massively dislodged from the tissue that would normally held the bones in place. Looking around the internet I've come across advice and info relating to the use of massage as a means of reducing scar tissue and was wondering if anyone has any experiences of scar tissue reduction through the use of massage?

 

[micoach]

Not directly but I have heard a couple of PTs talk about the use of manual therapy and foam roalling to reduce scar tissue, especially around the achillies tendon.

I can't back this up with any certainty, so I would speak to a qualified manual therapist to find out more.

 

[Andrew Bourne]

what micoach says above is correct as far as i am aware (studied a sports science at uni and have heard similar things from the health community around the traps) so i would check that out.

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Not relating to Joe - he's doing fine, he's going to have a few big scars all his life by the looks of it. But with regards to Plantar fasciitis - I used to suffer from it, but got it sorted through the use of massage, ice baths and warming up before getting going first thing in the morning. But just massaging my foot just now (I still massage the feet in that region just as a precautionary thing) I've just noticed that there's a big lump on the plantar fascia - is this just scar tissue?

 

[Liz Ward]

Impossible to say without palpation Dave... but highly unlikely!

As for scar tissue, SRMTs can reduce to practical elimination but this must be done when the tissue is forming [post acute] to align the fibres which connect in a haphazard way if left to their own devices. It needs to be carried out by a qualified practitioner who understands the muscles [anatomy and physiology]. Trying to self align can make the issue far worse as you align fibres incorrectly. Reduction can provide good results in a cold case but it would take longer and would not provide as good a prognosis.

As for your plantar fasciitis Dave, you need to look to your peroneals [lateral lower leg] and lengthen.