Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending a coaching workshop on the Sunshine Coast with my mentoring group, Holistic Movement Coach (HMC).
Every year we come together in person to learn, share ideas, and develop our coaching skills. In a world where so much learning happens online, I find enormous value in being in the same room as other coaches and trainers.
Over the weekend, we covered a range of topics including scar release, headaches, body symmetry, hip mobility, and business development.
I was looking forward to all of it.
What I didn’t expect was that scar release would be the topic that stayed with me long after I returned home.
Do You Have Any Scars?
It’s a simple question. Most of us would answer yes. But when I ask you to think about your scars, what comes to mind?
Perhaps a C-section scar, a surgery, a burn, a childhood accident, maybe a sporting injury.
Now let me ask a different question. Have you ever had an epidural? A vaccination? A muscle strain? A tendon injury? A ligament tear?
Suddenly the list becomes much longer. One of the biggest insights from the workshop was realising how narrowly I had been thinking about scars.
I had never thought about my epidural leaving a scar. My daughter is nearly 14 years old, yet it had never crossed my mind that there was still a scar.
Like many women, I had simply forgotten about it.
The Scar You See Is Only Part Of The Story
Most people think of a scar as the mark they can see on the surface of the skin. What fascinated me was learning that what we see is only a small part of the picture.
Much of the scar tissue exists beneath the surface. This was particularly eye-opening when we discussed injuries that don’t leave obvious visible marks.
Muscle strains, hamstring tears, Achilles injuries, tendon strains, ligament injuries.
These injuries can create scar tissue as part of the healing process, yet because we can’t see the scar, we rarely think about it. Over a lifetime, those injuries can begin to add up.
The Scar I Had Forgotten About
During the practical scar release session, my epidural scar was assessed. I was surprised to discover that the area was still sensitive when touched.
After nearly 14 years, I assumed it would be completely healed and no longer relevant. Yet there was still noticeable sensitivity around the area.
That challenged my understanding of what healing really means. For many of us, healed means the wound has closed, the skin has repaired itself, and life moves on.
What if a scar can appear fully healed on the surface while still influencing the tissues beneath?
What Is An Active Scar?
One of the concepts of a scar we explored was the idea of an active scar. A scar can be classified as active when there is:
- Sensitivity when touched
- A feeling of restriction around the tissue
- Pull or catching when the scar is moved
- Emotional or physical distress associated with the area
- Reduced movement around the surrounding tissues
An inactive scar, on the other hand, moves freely, isn’t sensitive, and doesn’t appear to influence movement or comfort.
What fascinated me was learning that age doesn’t necessarily determine whether a scar is active. A scar can be years old and still deserve attention.
The Connection We Often Miss
Before attending the workshop, I had never considered that scars might influence how we move, how we hold ourselves, or how comfortable movement feels.
Many of us assume that if we have pain, the source of the problem must be exactly where the pain is.
Sometimes that’s true. If you’ve just sprained your ankle, the problem is likely your ankle. But the body is interconnected. How we move one part of the body affects another.
Physical experiences, emotional experiences, stress, injuries, and surgeries all become part of the body’s story. This doesn’t mean a scar is always the cause of pain or movement restrictions. Far from it. But it may be one piece of the puzzle worth considering.
Why Women Often Miss This
I think many women become disconnected from their bodies because they’ve spent years looking after everyone else. Women are often the organisers, the carers, the planners, the people everyone depends on.
We’re told to stay healthy so we can continue caring for others. Somewhere along the way, many women put their own selves very far down the list and stop listening to their own body’s messages.
We become accustomed to tightness, fatigue, aches, movement restrictions, discomfort. We keep pushing through. The problem is that when we stop paying attention, we stop noticing what our bodies are trying to tell us.
A Five-Minute Scar Audit
Here’s a simple exercise I’d encourage you to try. Start at your feet and slowly work your way up your body.
Think about:
- Surgeries
- Burns
- Falls
- Sporting injuries
- Muscle strains
- Tendon injuries
- Ligament tears
- Vaccinations
- Epidurals
Ask yourself:
Do I have any scars?
Then ask:
- What does this scar feel like?
- Is it sensitive?
- Does it feel different from the surrounding tissue?
- Does it move freely?
- Does touching it bring up any emotions or memories?
- Are there movement restrictions around the area?
You may discover scars you’ve completely forgotten about.
What Is Scar Release?
Not all scars require release work. Scar tissue is a normal part of healing.
However, scar tissue tends to be less elastic and less flexible than the tissue that was there before.
Scar release is a simple technique used to help improve the mobility of restrictive scar tissue.
What surprised me most was how simple it was. No expensive equipment, no complicated tools. Just a gentle pulling action using the fingers.
After two short rounds of release work on my epidural scar, the sensitivity noticeably reduced. For a scar that was nearly 14 years old, I found that remarkable.
Start With Curiosity
If you’re nervous about touching a scar, start small.
Touch the edge, spend a few moments becoming aware of the area. If emotions arise, be gentle with yourself. If the scar is connected to a significant life event, injury, surgery, or trauma, approach it with compassion.
The goal isn’t to force anything, the goal is simply to notice. Awareness is where change begins.
The One Thing I Hope You Remember
If you take one thing away from this article, let it be this:
Most of your scarring isn’t visible, the scar you see on the surface may only be a small part of the story, so the next time you think about your body, ask yourself:
What does my scar feel like?
And perhaps even more importantly:
How do I feel about my scar?
You might discover that something you’ve stopped noticing still has something to teach you. You’ve spent years living in your body. Yet there may be scars you’ve never thought about that could be influencing how you move today.
If you’re curious about whether scars, movement restrictions, or old injuries could be affecting your posture, mobility, or comfort, I’d love to help.
Email leonie@leoniedegarnham.com with the subject line Movement Assessment and I’ll send you the details about working together.
