Week 11 was my first physiotherapy session back with my athletic therapist, Chris, after being released from OHIP weeks earlier.  I was looking forward to this but also knew it was going to hurt.

Our focus was on the scar.  We hadn’t got to any scar work yet on my new incision and I really wanted to make sure that it was addressed.  A stiff scar is no good.  It’s important to break down the scar tissue.

Why?

Scar tissue can affect someone both physically and mentally.  The most obvious is how a scar looks and how that can affect how I think people see me.  I love my scars, don’t get me wrong, but I also don’t want them to look any larger or angrier than necessary.  I know that over time they will change so I want them to start off on the right foot.

The less obvious effect is how the scar feels to me.  It’s a 7.5 inch scar, all the way down to the bone, it’s going to get stiff and tight and uncomfortable.  This all affects my movement and ROM (range of motion).  Breaking down the tissue that is under the surface, once the incision was healed, is really important.

It Hurts, I’m Not Going to Lie

Well when he started working on the scar he would immediately tell that I hadn’t done any work on it yet.  Manual manipulation, Graston?  I can’t recall exactly what he ended up doing, but it hurt!  He barely used any pressure to start and it stung!  Scar manipulation isn’t something that you go into with a lot of aggression right off the bat, it’s a progression (although it did feel like he was putting his full body weight into it haha he was not).

This one treatment made my hip tender for days afterwards (understandably) since scars are a sensitive area (but it does get easier with continued treatment).

Also in the Same Session

I also told Chris that my lower back was bothering me a bit.  He helped stretch me and ultimately figured out that I had a down slip.  Apparently those are rare and some people don’t even think it’s possible… I’m so special.  All these odd, peculiar things happen to me.  Luckily, I have the right therapists now, unlike earlier in life.

It was nice to get back to treatment and I have to keep it up, including cupping at home, so my scar doesn’t stiffen up.  I want to keep moving forward, not backwards.