Scar Work
Sharon Wheeler developed Scarwork in 1973 whilst she worked on client’s scar tissue during her Structural Integration treatments. Being trained to work by feel and to sense small increments of change, led to the discovery of scarwork.
In 2005, Sharon published an article on scar tissue and designed a hands-on scar work class to pass her knowledge on. In 2007 she began a quest to get her work under ultrasound, which it was and in 2012 she opened up her scarwork to all disciplines of people such as nurses, chiropractors, physical therapists and bodyworkers.
No two scars are ever the same they are all unique. Scar tissue is not extra material to get rid of, but stuck together precious tissue that needs a gentle hand to become the 3 dimensional fascial web it once was.
Scar tissue quality changes quickly and easily in that lumps, bumps, gaps, ridges, holes, knots and strings in the tissue becomes smoother. The amount of change in one intervention is rapid and extensive and between 30 – 60 minutes of work in an average treatment is needed. The touch is light and purposeful and rarely ever painful even on the freshest of scars, of which this work seems to speed the healing process. Small tissue changes that occur accumulate and can contribute to overall whole body tissue release and integration that appears to be permanent.
Some people have an aversion to their scars and do not like to talk about them and have never touched them since surgery or their creation. I encourage clients to talk about and feel their scars, so they can appreciate the tissue before and after treatment. I also check client’s range of movement of the associated structures before and after to demonstrate any change in body wide movement.
It is important to establish the root cause of a scar and its history of healing. This enables me to understand the fascial torsions of the underlying tissue that may be present upon assessment and treatment. Unresolved emotional responses with regard to a scar can arise during treatment and these are treated along with the scar itself, due to the body and mind being integral.
It is never too late to improve a scar and for brand new scars it may be that they a need a little longer to heal prior to being treated. In the case of all scars the criteria for treatment is:
- You have been discharged by your surgeon
- There is no infection or areas of weeping or scar tissue openings
- There is no mesh in the operation site.
- There is no redness from previous radiation
- There is no active cancer in your body
The scarwork treatment is modified and adapted for your individual scars and the very nature of your scar and tissues beneath will determine what treatment you will have. All scars will be worked on from the surface down, this way a better quality of tissue integration can occur.
Scarwork is a treatment that can be applied to all persons who fulfill the criteria for treatment, making it a treatment that can help so many people.