How to Avoid Creating Scar Tissue and Heal It

What prevention measures can be taken to avoid adhesions?

1) I recommend no matter what your sport or activity to warm up the muscles you’ll be using before you start your workout with dynamic movements. You can borrow some exercises from a polymeric type workout but lower the intensity to about 60-70%. This will allow the fluids in the muscles and surrounding tissues to increase in volume, lubricating tissues that should slide easily over one another and increasing flexibility in the muscles to avoid a strain.

2) Save your stretching for the end of the workout. You don’t want to be too loose and limber in the joints themselves before your muscles are warmed up and able to create the stability you need to avoid injury.

3) Have a regular recovery activity such as foam rolling, yoga (restorative, yin, or therapeutic only), dynamic stretching, or tennis/lacrosse ball self massage.

4) Get some kind of bodywork such as deep tissue, sports or Thai massage on a consistent basis even if it’s only every 6-8 weeks. Virtually ALL professional athletes receive some kind of bodywork regularly because it’s well known that the reduction of adhesions, and scar tissue greatly reduces the incidence of injury; and if your body is your business you’ll do the smart thing and give it regular tune ups.

I hope these recommendations help you avoid injury and promote more enjoyment in the activities you love best. minga leads a monthly foam rolling workshop at Healthy Living Family Medicine where even seasoned foam rolling aficionado’s pick up new ideas and tips on improving their recovery practice. Look at our education and events page for more info.

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