ASTR Institute says scar tissue can contribute to chronic pain

ASTR Institute in Clermont, Florida released a patient-education overview on whether scar tissue can cause chronic pain after surgery or injury. The material says scars can hurt in some cases, but persistent pain usually needs an individual evaluation that looks beyond the scar itself.

Why it matters: - Scar tissue can contribute to chronic pain, but a visible scar does not prove it is the source of symptoms. - The distinction affects how patients describe pain, how clinicians evaluate it, and whether treatment focuses on a scar, a nerve, movement limits, or multiple factors. - Chronic pain is common: CDC National Center for Health Statistics data published in November 2024 found 24.3% of U.S. adults experienced chronic pain and 8.5% had pain that frequently limited life or work activities.

What happened: - ASTR Institute released a new patient-education overview on scar tissue pain after surgery and injury. - The Clermont, Florida chronic-pain practice is led by Dr. Joseph Jacobs, DPT, ACN. - The overview explains how scar tissue, fascial restrictions, adhesions, trigger points, and inflammation may contribute to chronic pain. - The material is designed to help patients prepare better questions for healthcare providers rather than offer a single explanation for pain.

The details: - Scar tissue forms as a normal part of healing after tissue damage. - Pain can happen when scar tissue irritates nearby nerves, limits movement, or forms in a location where small changes affect function. - Many scars cause no pain at all. - A scar’s appearance is a poor predictor of whether it hurts. - Reported symptoms of a painful scar can include tenderness, itching, touch sensitivity, tightness, burning, tingling, or shooting pain. - Describing when pain happens, what it feels like, and how it has changed can improve the clinical conversation. - Evaluation typically starts with the original injury or surgery, symptom timing, exact location, and effect on daily activities. - A focused exam can help determine whether more testing is needed. - ASTR says its approach also considers movement, activity habits, sleep, and stress alongside physical findings. - Persistent postsurgical pain is a recognized clinical concern and is not explained by the incision alone. - Internal scar tissue is different from surface scarring. - The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases describes abdominal adhesions as bands of scar-like tissue inside the abdomen. - Some adhesions cause no symptoms; some are linked to chronic abdominal pain or intestinal obstruction. - Fascia, trigger points, and referred pain are legitimate terms, but they are not substitutes for diagnosis. - Whether stretching or massage helps depends on the condition, healing stage, intervention, and individual. - A 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis by Deflorin and colleagues found improvements across several scar-related outcomes, but also noted methodological limitations and risk of bias. - Dr. Joseph Jacobs said pain is real and that stress, behavior, the nervous system, scar tissue, fascia, inflammation, posture, and nervous system sensitivity may all influence chronic pain. - ASTR says education is not diagnosis, and new or worsening symptoms should be assessed rather than automatically attributed to an old scar. - The institute’s model, Advanced Soft Tissue Release, addresses soft-tissue findings and movement alongside other chronic-pain factors. - ASTR also provides home treatment resources, professional education, books, videos, and online material. - Further educational information is available through ASTR Institute.

Between the lines: - The overview pushes back against one-cause explanations for chronic pain after surgery or injury. - ASTR’s framing reflects a biopsychosocial view of pain, which treats pain as a whole-person experience influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. - The repeated message is that terminology such as scar tissue, adhesions, or trigger points can guide discussion, but cannot replace an individual evaluation. - The institute also draws a clear line between describing a method and proving it works for every diagnosis.

What's next: - Patients with new, persistent, or worsening pain are encouraged to ask what findings support a proposed explanation and what alternatives were considered. - ASTR says the next step is to measure what a treatment is intended to change and how progress will be assessed. - The overview is intended as general education and does not replace diagnosis, treatment, or postoperative instructions from a healthcare team.

The bottom line: - Scar tissue can be part of chronic pain, but it is only one possible factor among several, and the source of pain should be assessed case by case.