If you have sustained a serious sports injury, then it is wise to speak with a doctor who specializes in sports medicine. This helps to ensure a more complete healing process. And, one of your main concerns should be the formation of scar tissue. Scar tissue can prevent movements from being as smooth and pain-free as they should be. There are a few different types of therapy methods that can be used to help reduce scar tissue issues. 

Kinesiology Tape Use

Many sports medicine professionals will now use a special type of tape to help mold your tissues in a way that prevents scar tissue from forming. The tape, which is applied to the outside of the body, is called kinesiology tape. The tape is used during the healing process when the body tissues start to remodel themselves. Remodeling involves collagen and sometimes the collagen will layer on top of itself. This is what causes the formation of the scar tissue.

To prevent the aggressive buildup of collagen, pressure is placed on the injured site. Specifically, it is stretched to keep the collagen from layering. This creates a more linear sort of repair that is much more consistent with your natural and healthy tissues.

Kinesiology tape must be placed on the skin once the initial healing period is over. This way, it will not interfere with the more aggressive soft tissue healing process. It is more effective when ligaments and tendons are healing, and this type of remodeling can take several months.

The tape is applied according to the likely direction of the collagen formation, and it is then angled to allow for stretching of the collagen. Your sports medicine professional can determine this and will also apply the tape for you. It should stay on for about 3 to 5 days, so two weekly appointments are best for tape application.

Deep Tissue Massage

Many sports medicine facilities will offer sports massage. The orthopedic massage is much different from the calming treatment that you may schedule at your local spa. It is intended to optimize movements of the joints and to break up developing scar tissue. Deep tissue massage specifically will help with scar tissue formation.

During the treatment, the professional will use their fingers and hands to get deep into the tissues. They will often locate tendons and ligaments and find where they are attached to your muscles and bones. The massage begins by working deep into the tissues along the full length of the attachment tissues. If lumps or formations are found and are believed to be scar tissue, the area is massaged more aggressively to break apart the tissue. 

It is important to talk to a medical professional about which treatments are best for your sport injury. If you are concerned about an injury and scar tissue, contact an orthopaedic specialist, like those found at Town Center Orthopaedic Associates, P.C., about your concerns.