Scar massage

[cjsmith]

I'd like a quick tutorial (if there is such a thing) on scar massage. My doctor mentioned there was scar tissue deep inside each foot, and she recommended I massage the area where my incision is.

mactavish? kineticphoenix? others?

I've googled and this is the most helpful thing I found.

Potential complication: pain is not a reliable warning sign in this case. Much of this area is now permanently numb except for phantom pain.

Comments

[anisoptera.livejournal.com]

That seemed pretty through to me. I work with a lot scar tissue.

To figure out a sense of how deep to work with out good feed back try to find another sensitve area - maybe a place on your hands. See how much pressure it takes to work that area out then then use about half as much pressure on your feet to start with. As you get more comfortable with massaging you will probably get a sense of deep you can go. Little massage is better than none and too deep massage can delay your recovery. Though I don't know how strong your fingers are. Also the futher you are from the incision the less you have to worry about working deep.

Get a picture of the muscles, tendons and ligaments in you foot to help with finding fiber direction.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thank you! (And DUH for not listing your name. I *knew* I was missing at least one person who'd know, and I just wasn't thinking!)

Fiber direction I've got; I've been paying a lot of attention to foot anatomy lately. My fingers aren't very strong but (for better or for worse) I know how to be pretty effective despite that, so it's worth being careful. :-)

[anisoptera.livejournal.com]

You are most welcome. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Here's one question. Much of the scar tissue probably sits between the heads of the metatarsals. The ligament connecting those heads has been cut (and not repaired). What about grabbing those bones and wiggling them a bit, one head up while the other goes down and then vice versa? (When I do this it does really feisty things to the severed end of the nerve. :-) )

[anisoptera.livejournal.com]

That is a classic technique for foot massage. I would just be careful not to push the metatarsal heads too far since there is no ligament to hold things in check. See how far the go on a friend and use that as a guide.

Long story short - wiggling them a bit is a good idea. ;)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :-)