Tell me about your scar and how it impacts your pain and mobility. Every patient's experience with pain after surgical procedures or injuries varies, as a physiotherapist, my goal is alleviate pain and improve mobility and functionality of scars and scared tissue. I treat Mom’s, Dad’s, high-school athletes, professional athletes, United States Special Forces and Black Ops personnel as well as teaching physical therapists in Baltimore, Maryland and around the country on how to use dry needling techniques on scar tissue, fascia as well as treatment protocols, trigger point safety guidelines as well as equipment demonstrations.

Scar tissue formation is a natural part of the body's healing process after surgery or serious injury. Dry needling allows the body to stimulate scars or scar tissue to trigger a remodeling phase in the tissue. As blood flow returns to damaged and inflamed tissues, pain decreases, and the tissue becomes healthier. Keep in mind, not every appointment will include dry needling. It’s one of many tools we’ll use to waken this remodeling phase in your scar tissue.

Scar tissue pain can vary from person to person. Some individuals may experience pain immediately after surgical procedures, especially if surgical staples are used extensively. For others, scar tissue pain may arise later in life when nerve endings become involved in the healing process.

The age of the scar does not affect the effectiveness of treatment. Remarkable results can be achieved regardless of how long the scar has been present. Many patients, initially resigned to live with physical limitations and pain, have found profound improvements in their mobility and pain levels through dry needling treatments.

I have successfully treated patients with various scar-related mobility limitations, such as C-section scars, knee replacements, hip replacements, shoulder surgeries, and even earlobe scars resulting from car accident, all of which responded well to dry needling scar treatment techniques.

An illustrative case is that of a 27-year-old male named Steve. Steve was a gymnast who had extensive knee surgery following a gymnastics competition accident. Despite undergoing extensive therapy, physicians told Steve that his knee had reached its maximum potential for recovery, and he would have to live with the results. Steve was physically fit but lacked 25 degrees of range of motion in knee flexion, making activities like walking downstairs and running extremely difficult. After just three scar treatment appointments, his range of motion was completely restored, and it has remained normal ever since.

Where’s your pain?