Scar Care and Mobilization << continued from previous page
• 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
Made with FlippingBook Converter PDF to HTML5