Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Scar Tissue & Pain

Scar tissue consists of contracted connective tissue that is fibrous as well as dense. These tissues make up a scar. If you have had surgery or some other type of wound, a scar forms as a result. When scar tissue develops near the nerve root, it is referred to as epidural fibrosis, which is a very common occurrence after an individual undergoes back surgery. Women who have had repeat c-sections are also very likely to develop internal scar tissue or adhesions.


Body Repair


Scar tissue occurs because your body is trying to repair itself after a traumatic injury, which includes surgery. Scar tissue can seem to cause pain, but it is not the scar tissue itself that results in pain. Scar tissue does not have any nerve endings. What makes you hurt is the tethering or binding of the fibrous adhesions to a nerve root.


Adhesions


Chronic abdominal pain is often the result of scar tissue in the abdomen. Bands of scar tissue can attach to your internal organs and onto other tissue, and this causes pain. When the scar tissue becomes a band, this creates an adhesion that binds together body parts that are not supposed to be bound together, according to Healthscout. In essence, adhesions hook together normally unconnected body parts, which can result in a tugging and pulling sensation.








A Tangled Mess


Scar tissue and adhesions often crop up in the abdomen following surgery or as the result of inflammation, or peritonitis, of the abdominal lining. Scar tissue and adhesions can tangle up your intestines and cause a blockage, which is very painful.


Potential


You can have scar tissue and adhesions and not know it because they aren't causing you any pain; however, for some individuals the scar tissue creates other problems. For example, scar tissue can block the ends of the fallopian tubes, which can result in infertility.


Location


Scar tissue and adhesions can occur anywhere in the body, including in the eyes, which can result in glaucoma, and around the heart, which can cause pericarditis.


Effects


The pain that scar tissue causes depends to a great extent on its location. Adhesions pull on organs and nerves, and you might feel that tugging sensation and some pain when you are stretching or even when you are breathing deeply.


Solution


Surgery can be done to cut fibrous tissue, which is binding up your internal organs.

Tags: tissue adhesions, scar tissue, which result, body parts, internal organs, nerve root, scar tissue