Scars and Osteopathy: The impact on your body

By Marco Pasolini, Registered Osteopath D.O.

What the impact of scars on our body and health?

What happens underneath your scar?

A scar could come from a certain surgery produce (like a common C section), body’s injury after trauma or burns. We can say that an active scar might create anatomical adhesion in the body’s fascia, connective tissue, muscle and even joints. This might lead to alteration of an organ’s function and integrity, its physiology could be altered or causing mechanical restrictions preventing you from moving specific parts apparently far from the scar.

The scar might require an intervention by osteopathic facial release, manipulation or visceral osteopathy.

The potential tissue damage due to a surgery (even after a successful procedure) could have a negative impact on our body. Therefore, it could be important to not overlook a scar, even if that’s small, as could create adhesions in underlying skin, fascia or muscle layers.

The skin is an organ, like any other system, it has a connection with the central and peripheral nervous system, becoming a vital tissue by participating to the body’s action. I’d like to talk about another important and complex structure which might be involved into scar’s healing process, and get influenced along the way. The FASCIA is like a “sheet” of connective tissue that covers and “connect” different part of your body (like a Velcro under the skin).

Scar, can be see like a metal staples on our clothes that might pinch either the cloth and the underneath clothes; now try to imagine to move it, you will find it quite hard with limited movement. At the same time this “STAPLES” could instead pinch lower layers where our body fluids circulation (lymph, serous peritoneal fluid, blood, ect.) are placed; in this case our vascular and lymphatic circulation might be affected.

An osteopath can improve the scar tissue texture and remove the adhesions by an appropriate tissue manipulation or fascial release. An osteopathic approach could be well integrated by psychotherapy, Nutrition and Homeopathy.

Many of us have experiences a physical trauma or surgery in our lifetime, leading to a scar. Nowadays it is important to treat scars in our daily routine, and understand the intrinsic connections of the body.