John,
I have been practicing the JFB MFR approach since 1996 and have been amazed at the relationship between headache pain and old post-operative scars (i.e. C-section, hysterectomy). Can you please elaborate on your experiences and findings with scars in general? Thank you for your continued guidance and effort in providing real effective treatment approaches that addresses the whole individual.
–Richard Staudt, MOT, OTR/L, LMT
Hello Richard,
Your question about scars is a very good one. Often times scars get overlooked, even though they can be the source of many problems.
Scar tissue can put an enormous amount of strain on the fascial system, especially in cases where the person has had multiple surgeries in the same area. If you imagine the sweater example that I have often used to illustrate the continuity of the fascial system, a restriction would be equivalent to a “pull” in the sweater. Not only is the area that is being pulled affected, but the whole sweater is affected at some degree or another. Now, if you were to then sew a few stitches (i.e. a scar) in the sweater in one of the areas of pull (restriction), you just created additional “drag” within the system. The other important thing to remember about scars is that most scars look fairly neat and uniform on the surface. However, underneath the scar you have tissue that is laid down in an irregular fashion, which helps to strengthen that vulnerable/”injured” area. In some people, there is an excessive amount of scar tissue laid down (adhesions- A fibrous band of scar tissue that binds together normally separate anatomical structures). So in other words, the scar is just the “tip of the iceberg”.
So Richard, to answer your question, I agree with you, there does seem to be a relationship between headache pain and old post-operative scars (e.g. C-section, hysterectomy, etc.) Scar tissue can create extensive dysfunction within the fascial system, thus affecting the craniosacral system. These additional restrictions can have long-reaching effects throughout the body, causing seemingly unrelated symptoms and dysfunction (e.g, headaches, migraines, depression, mood swings, etc). No scar should go unevaluated, as even the smallest one could cause significant fascial dysfunction.
Thanks for your inquiry.
John
