Many people walk around with vague pain in their shoulders or backs thinking they’ve got tendonitis or arthritis.
What if it’s really scar tissue?
And what if healing requires a more hands-on approach and some yoga-like stretching instead of an anti-inflammatory and a sling?
Moving the matrix
“The reality is if you’ve ever had an injury, you have scar tissue,” says Natalie Nevins, a medical doctor and a certified yoga instructor in Hollywood, California. Scar tissue forms as the body’s natural response to trauma, such as sprains, strains, and repetitive stress injuries to muscles and joints. It consists primarily of collagen, which is a type of connective tissue that assists healing of the damaged tissues. “We often think of it as bad, but without it our bodies would never heal,” says Nevins.
The body as a single unit
“The reality is if you’ve ever had an injury, you have scar tissue,” says Natalie Nevins, a medical doctor and a certified yoga instructor in Hollywood, California. Scar tissue forms as the body’s natural response to trauma, such as sprains, strains, and repetitive stress injuries to muscles and joints. It consists primarily of collagen, which is a type of connective tissue that assists healing of the damaged tissues. “We often think of it as bad, but without it our bodies would never heal,” says Nevins.
The body as a single unit
With any injury, it’s important to assess not only the place of pain, but also all the tissues that can affect that area. With repetitive stress injuries, for example, such as lateral epicondylosis (tennis elbow), you feel pain in your elbow, but the origin of that pain may come from the shoulder or wrist. The shoulder may not rotate properly because of a scar tissue adhesion in the rotator cuff. Or, the muscles that extend the wrist may be overworking to compensate for weak wrist flexors, creating stress that will lead to the formation of scar tissue in the elbow. The same goes for nerve entrapments such as carpal tunnel syndrome. The result: pain and loss of mobility.
Yoga to the rescue
Any kind of stretching can help ease scar tissue buildup. “Yoga can be especially effective because it’s based on motion, which is precisely what the body needs,” says Nevins. Hatha, or physical yoga, works every joint, stretches key areas of the body, strengthens weaker muscles, and balances the body out. “Any pose can be good to do, depending on where the scar tissue is,” says Nevins. You should never go to the point of pain, no matter what, that means modify and keep it gentle.
Any kind of stretching can help ease scar tissue buildup. “Yoga can be especially effective because it’s based on motion, which is precisely what the body needs,” says Nevins. Hatha, or physical yoga, works every joint, stretches key areas of the body, strengthens weaker muscles, and balances the body out. “Any pose can be good to do, depending on where the scar tissue is,” says Nevins. You should never go to the point of pain, no matter what, that means modify and keep it gentle.
The following exercises can help bring movement back into areas of the body most commonly affected by scar tissue adhesions. Practitioners recommend stretching twice a day, holding stretches for 10 to 20 seconds with 10 repetitions. Break up your workday by doing the ankle and neck exercises at your desk.
Ankle
Ankle alphabet (not shown): Sit on a chair and let your legs dangle. Using right (then left) ankle and foot only, trace the letters of the alphabet from A to Z in the air.
Ankle/calf stretch (below): Stand on a doorway sill with your heels on the floor and your toes on the sill. Rise up on your toes until you feel a stretch through both calves.
Wrist & Elbow
Ankle
Ankle alphabet (not shown): Sit on a chair and let your legs dangle. Using right (then left) ankle and foot only, trace the letters of the alphabet from A to Z in the air.
Ankle/calf stretch (below): Stand on a doorway sill with your heels on the floor and your toes on the sill. Rise up on your toes until you feel a stretch through both calves.
Wrist & Elbow
Wrist flexor stretch (above): Sit with your elbows splayed on a table until your forearms rest on the table. Begin to press your palms together until you feel a stretch.
Wrist extensor stretch (not shown): Extend your left arm in front of you, grasp your fingers, thumb included, with your right hand and gently pull your wrist back until you feel a stretch. Hold for 20 seconds then change sides.
Back
Cat/Cow (above): Kneel on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees under hips. As you inhale, slowly lift your head and your tailbone toward the ceiling, arching your back and reaching your collarbones forward (main photo). On an exhale tuck your chin and tighten your stomach as you round your back and look at your navel (inset).
Spinal Twist (not shown): Sit on a chair and put your hands on your shoulders with your elbows out to the sides, parallel to the floor. Slowly twist your torso left, then right
Wrist extensor stretch (not shown): Extend your left arm in front of you, grasp your fingers, thumb included, with your right hand and gently pull your wrist back until you feel a stretch. Hold for 20 seconds then change sides.
Back
Cat/Cow (above): Kneel on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees under hips. As you inhale, slowly lift your head and your tailbone toward the ceiling, arching your back and reaching your collarbones forward (main photo). On an exhale tuck your chin and tighten your stomach as you round your back and look at your navel (inset).
Spinal Twist (not shown): Sit on a chair and put your hands on your shoulders with your elbows out to the sides, parallel to the floor. Slowly twist your torso left, then right
Lower Back
Pelvic Tilt (not shown): Lie down on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tip your pubic bone toward your navel as you move your navel up and back toward your spine. Release your tailbone back to the floor, relax, and repeat.
Bridge Pose (below): Repeat pelvic tilt, but this time raise your buttocks off the floor as high as you can comfortably go, engaging your stomach muscles and lifting your sternum. Don’t tuck your chin.
Neck
Neck rotation (above): Sit up straight. Turn your head slowly to look over one shoulder, come back to center, and look over the other.
Pelvic Tilt (not shown): Lie down on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tip your pubic bone toward your navel as you move your navel up and back toward your spine. Release your tailbone back to the floor, relax, and repeat.
Bridge Pose (below): Repeat pelvic tilt, but this time raise your buttocks off the floor as high as you can comfortably go, engaging your stomach muscles and lifting your sternum. Don’t tuck your chin.
Neck
Neck rotation (above): Sit up straight. Turn your head slowly to look over one shoulder, come back to center, and look over the other.
Neck extension (not shown): Lie on your back, knees bent, and lift your chin gently toward the ceiling. Come back to center. Repeat.
Lateral neck flexion (above): Slowly tilt head toward left shoulder, using your right hand to guide. Repeat on right side.
Source: healthierwayoflife
