McLoughlin Scar Tissue Release (MSTR)
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What is Scar Tissue?
Scarring is part of the natural healing response of the body to trauma. The body initially reacts to the trauma of injury over the first 3 or so days with swelling, pain, heat, soreness and other responses that you will have experienced yourself after an accident. Then, over the next 6-8 weeks, the tissue regenerates by laying down new tissue (this is where the idea that healing takes 6-8 weeks comes from). Scar tissue is made of collagen, is fibrous and differs in quality from other tissue (it has, for example, no sweat glands or hairs). The initial lay down of scar tissue is disorganised and weak. Finally, the tissue remodels and matures in a process which may take months or even years. The scar tissue fibres organise and strengthen along the lines of use in the body so that we can regain function, though this scar tissue can lose flexibility and can shrink with age. |
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of mending pottery with lacquer and gold. The repair is an essential part of the item's beauty. Repair by Japanese artisan Natsuyo Watanabe. © www.Tsugi.de
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What’s the Problem with Scar Tissue?
Scars can be very noticeable. If your scar is in a prominent location this can be a big deal. Other people may or may not notice it, but you know it’s there and it can be unpleasant for you. Your scar will never stop being a scar, but any positive improvement in its colour and texture can make a significant difference to how you feel.
Scars can also have physical effects. This can be especially important if your external scar is large, if there are significant areas of underlying (invisible) scarring (e.g. from keyhole surgery) or if the scar is located in an awkward/significant location. Just as sewing a patch on a cashmere jumper totally changes the way that the fabric sits and moves, scars frequently create adhesions in the soft tissue which restrict movement or generate other symptoms, often quite far away from the location of the scar. This can stop other therapeutic approaches holding.
Finally, for many people a scar can have significant emotional content, tied to the circumstances which caused it: a c-section, car crash or bad fall are all possible examples of this. Creating change in the scar can lead to positive results to your physical and emotional well being.
Scars can be very noticeable. If your scar is in a prominent location this can be a big deal. Other people may or may not notice it, but you know it’s there and it can be unpleasant for you. Your scar will never stop being a scar, but any positive improvement in its colour and texture can make a significant difference to how you feel.
Scars can also have physical effects. This can be especially important if your external scar is large, if there are significant areas of underlying (invisible) scarring (e.g. from keyhole surgery) or if the scar is located in an awkward/significant location. Just as sewing a patch on a cashmere jumper totally changes the way that the fabric sits and moves, scars frequently create adhesions in the soft tissue which restrict movement or generate other symptoms, often quite far away from the location of the scar. This can stop other therapeutic approaches holding.
Finally, for many people a scar can have significant emotional content, tied to the circumstances which caused it: a c-section, car crash or bad fall are all possible examples of this. Creating change in the scar can lead to positive results to your physical and emotional well being.
Marks of wear and ageing are part of an object's story. Impermanence and imperfection are a natural part of life. Repair by Natsuyo Watanabe. © www.tsugi.de Used with permission.
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What is McLoughlin Scar Tissue Release?
McLoughlin Scar Tissue Release (MSTR) was developed by Bowen teacher Alastair McLoughlin to work with surgical and trauma scars during (and after) the remodelling phase of scar formation (i.e. from 8 weeks onwards). It appears to rely on the piezoelectric effect. The piezoelectrical effect is when mechanical pressure and deformation generate electricity in matter, including the collagen in bones, ligaments and tendons, elastin in the skin, and actin and myosin in skeletal muscles. Collagen molecules, and the tissues and organs that they form, have an inherent electric charge which is altered when there is inflammation or trauma. This electric charge should slowly return to normal during the healing process, but sometimes a helping hand is needed. It is possible that piezoelectric stimulation of the scar and the surrounding tissue alters the collagen charge and therefore the quality of the tissue, leading to the results we find in clinic. |
