3 Ways Scars & Traumas Directly Affect Muscles

There are several ways that scars and physical trauma can directly affect muscles, leading to everything from a strain in day to day activities, to greatly decreased athletic performance. Here are the three primary ways in which they can impact our muscles.

1. Upregulate the Sympathetic Nervous System
   When the body experiences trauma, the sympathetic nervous system becomes upregulated, and stress is produced within the body, increasing vagal tone, which then leads to muscle hypertonicity.
2. Strain & Pull Fascia
   When our body creates scars as a result of physical trauma, such as an accident or surgery, our body’s fascia, which connects to all muscles and organs of the body, can become strained and pulled. One small strain can cause significant muscle imbalances throughout the body, producing pain and muscle weakness often far removed from scar or trauma site.
3. Create Adhesions
   In some instances, physical trauma, such as surgery, or illness, can cause adhesions, or internal scarring, inside the muscles and body. Adhesions reduce muscle performance (shutting down) and produce pain.