Scar Care and Mobilization for Upper Extremities
Hands for
SPECIALTY EXPERTISE For Shoulders, Arms, and Hands
Living
NEWSLETTER
Scar Care and Mobilization for Your Upper Extremities
www.handsforliving.com
NEWSLETTER Living Hands for
SPECIALTY EXPERTISE For Shoulders, Arms, and Hands
Scar Care and Mobilization for Your Upper Extremities
Contact us to schedule an appointment! handsforliving.com Living Hands for
Scarring is natural but that doesn’t mean it isn’t frustrating. When the body heals from an injury or surgery, it is not uncommon for a scar to form. Depending on the area of scarring, this can lead to physical limitations and feelings of insecurity in a patient. Fortunately, there is a solution to treating scars with the help of hand therapy. Our certified hand therapists (CHTs) can provide you with the care you need for helping relieve your scarred areas. If you have recently formed a scar in an area that was injured or surgically repaired, don’t hesitate to contact Hands for Living today. Tips for Scar Care It is important to note that there are several stages of scarring. Therefore, the way your scar looks now may not be how it will look once it is completely healed. It is normal for a scar to become enlarged and redden in the first 4-6 weeks after an
injury or surgical procedure. This alarms many patients and is often mistaken for an infection. However, it is simply the body’s natural way of healing itself. After this phase, the scar should become smaller or paler in the next 2-3 months. Once it is finally healed, the scar should become soft, and it may even return to your natural skin color. Our hand therapists can help you speed up this healing process, so you do not have to wait several months for your scar to heal. According to the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, some of the most effective tips for scar care include: • Massaging the scar. Our hand therapists are highly experienced in performing targeted massage to affected areas. Massage can help decrease the sensitivity you feel in the scarred area and loosen up the deep scar tissue. You can also help
do this on your own by massaging over-the-counter creams, such as Vaseline, onto the scar. • Using different modes of massage. Deeper and more sensitive scars may be in need of a massage that includes different techniques. This may include adding different tools to our hands-on treatments, such as IASTM (instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization). This will help desensitize the scar and reach the deeper tissues that are affected. With some severe scarring, this may take up to 4 months. • Taping/wrapping the scar. Your hand therapist may recommend keeping the scar wrapped during its healing process in order to avoid additional strain to the affected area. In some cases, a special gel (such as silicone gel) may be used inside of the wrap, which can further reduce your swelling and tension.
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• Using special gloves or topical treatments. Especially for burn scars, it is likely that your hand therapist will recommend wearing special gloves and applying a topical treatment to the area every day. This will help keep the scars safe from harmful environmental factors (such as sunlight or rough materials) and will enhance the healing process. In some more severe cases, your hand therapist may recommend injections or surgical correction for burn scars. Mobilizing Scar Tissue with Occupational Therapy When your body is healing from an injury or surgical scar, it is important to make sure the affected area is able to function at its optimum levels. Our occupational therapists (OTs) can help implement controlled exercise programs early on in your recovery period, in order to improve your flexibility, range of motion, and overall mobility. When scar tissue is not treated right away, it can lead to stiffness and prevent the tendons underneath from being able to glide in the ways they are supposed to. This can lead to loss of strength, range of motion, flexibility, and function overall. Fortunately, our highly experienced occupational therapists can help with this. Through targeted exercises, occupational therapy can help you move comfortably while completing daily tasks so you can go about your everyday life as easily as possible while your scar is healing. This will help build strength and improve function during the course of your recovery period. Additionally, occupational therapy aids in healing overall. Not only do stretches and strengthening exercises help a patient regain mobility, it allows a trained medical professional to regularly view the area in question. Problems with an incision or wound can be spotted and addressed by your occupational therapist long before they are severe enough to bother you. Occupational therapy can also speed your recovery along as you strengthen surrounding muscles, learn compensatory strategies in the short term, and begin reusing the scarred limb or joint to its full potential.
Have you developed a scar that is in need of treatment? Our certified hand therapists and licensed occupational therapists are here to help. Contact Hands for Living today to find out how we can enhance your healing process and get you back to living your life, free of stiffness, inflammation, and limitations! Source: http://www.assh.org/handcare/procedures-and-treatment/scar-management
Featured Technique
McLoughlin Scar Tissue Release (MSTR) The McLoughlin Scar Tissue Release (MSTR) technique is an advancement in the treatment of scar tissue. It can provide significant changes in functional outcomes, improve sensation, reduce pain, and improve the cosmetic appearance of scars. It can be used for post-surgical scars, trauma scars, amputation scars, certain cases of frozen shoulder, caesarian scars, spinal surgery scars, hysterectomy scars, and any areas of dense fibrous tissue. The technique involves small targeted movements in different directions over the scar to reach both superficial and deep fibers of scar tissue.
Written by Kari Ketner, Certified Hand Therapist
Healthy Recipe
Congratulations, JoAnn & Greg!
• 2/3 cup milk of choice • 1/3 cup canned coconut milk, or creamer • 1 frozen banana (or sub 2/3 cup frozen coconut meat) • 2 1/2 tsp cocoa or cacao powder Chocolate Shamrock Shake
• Scant 1/8 tsp salt • 1/8 - 1/4 tsp pure peppermint extract • Sweetener of choice, (as desired) • Chocolate chips, (optional)
Blend all ingredients until completely smooth. Pour into a glass, and enjoy! Feel free to experiment by adding 1 tsp of instant coffee to make a frappe, or use a non-frozen banana and heat ingredients on stove top to make Shamrock Hot Chocolate!
Congratulations to our wonderful owner, JoAnn, and her husband Greg on their Hawaiian wedding!
Home Exercise Apply lotion and rub the scar with the thumb using circular, up, down, and side to side motions. Apply firm pressure throughout. 1 rep, 2 sets, 30 seconds SCAR MASSAGE Name Change! Hand Therapy Northwest is changing its name to Hands for Living – Redmond. Same great therapists, same great location, and same great results! Give us a call to schedule your next appointment.
Get Back To Living!
LYNNWOOD Hands for Living – Lynnwood (425) 368-7943 REDMOND Hands for Living – Redmond (formerly Hand Therapy Northwest) (425) 881-1921 www.handsforliving.com
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