NEWSLETTER Living Hands for
SPECIALTY EXPERTISE For Shoulders, Arms, and Hands
Scar Care and Mobilization for Your Upper Extremities
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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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