Why does scars hurt

When a scar forms, it usually results in a tough, fibrous collection of cells or tissues that cover normal, healthy tissues at the site of an injury. It can develop in the joints from overuse injuries such as Golfers Elbow in professional and amateur athletes, as well as in people whose occupations require repetitive movements.

When tendons and ligaments are repeatedly stressed or injured, a build up of scar tissue can lead to less mobility, pain, and chronic inflammation.

As scarred tissue develops, it may not be immediately noticeable, especially for internal injuries. With a burn, cut, or external sores such as acne, damage to the skin is usually what leads to pain and inflammation.

However, as the healing process continues and fibrous tissue grows, the area over the original wound may become raised, thick, and firm, causing less flexibility and mild to severe pain. Long-term pain issues can occur with the buildup of fibrous tissue under the skin where tendons and ligaments are likely to be damaged, as well as the nerves.

Fibrosis is the growth of excessive tissue that can cause loss of function in soft tissue and joints. Treating scar tissue pain, along with understanding how to get rid of fibrous tissue under the skin, is important for people seeking medical intervention for pain, discomfort, and mobility issues. For minor scars, people can take several at-home treatment approaches to get rid of scar tissue.

Regularly applying moisturizer to an external scar and massaging it in the direction of the tissue can keep the scar softer and more flexible and it may decrease tissue sensitivity. There are also silicone gel patches that adhere to the skin and can help promote tissue healing. Wrapping or taping the injury might also decrease tension and inflammation. Physical Therapy can be useful for breaking up scar tissue around a joint. Learning joint exercises and stretches can help reduce stiffness and may alleviate some of the pain cause by scarring.

This is also a useful way to learn and practice proper techniques for specialized movements, as a way to avoid future injury and the development of additional fibrous tissue. Laser Therapy involves treatment that penetrates the skin and promotes the growth of healthy collagen. Timing of the massages, stretches and exercises is vital as starting too early may re-injure the newly formed tissue and starting too late may mean that adhesions have already formed.

With new scars, the experienced massage therapist can apply appropriate tension to the scar to guide the collagen formation into more organised lines and promote circulation. In older scars, the tissue can be manipulated to break adhesions and increase the mobility in the scar and desensitise the area. For superficial scars, home management is to apply a vitamin E rich oil and gently massage the scar daily while it is healing following the approval of your consultant or physiotherapist.

For scar tissue underneath the skin, massage may still be applied but might be difficult to determine the exact location if not instructed exactly where. Older injuries may benefit from foam rolling and stretching exercises. JAMA Dermatol. American Academy of Dermatology. Scars: overview. Accessed April 13, About the Author Cheryl Carver is an independent wound educator and consultant. Carver's experience includes over a decade of hospital wound care and hyperbaric medicine.

Carver single-handedly developed a comprehensive educational training manual for onboarding physicians and is the star of disease-specific educational video sessions accessible to employee providers and colleagues.

Carver educates onboarding providers, in addition to bedside nurses in the numerous nursing homes across the country.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author, and do not represent the views of WoundSource, Kestrel Health Information, Inc. The digital age is upon us, like it or not, ready or not. For the past few years, payers have incentivized, encouraged, reimbursed, and adopted various digital, remote monitoring systems and devices as a way to encourage providers to adopt more digital, remote methods.

Although complete Being a wound care professional is often a lot like being a detective. You have to decide what caused the wound, what is contributing to its not healing and how you are going to get it to heal.

Selection of a wound dressing requires a multifaceted approach. Currently, no dressing can meet all needs of a wound infection prevention, promotion of re-epithelialization, moisture balance, etc. View the discussion thread. Important Notice: The contents of the website such as text, graphics, images, and other materials contained on the website "Content" are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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Refer to the Legal Notice for express terms of use. Skip to main content. Submitted by Cheryl Carver on April 28th, Pain Management , Scar Management. Blog Category:. Clinician Education , Patient Issues. Scar Types Depending on the type of injury, such as burns or stab wounds, the wound may develop one of several different types of scars.