Scar Management

By Cheryl Carver, LPN, WCC, CWCA, DAPWCA, FACCWS

I have again been inspired by my son to blog on a not so talked about topic, scar tissue pain. I have had patients through the years report scar pain, and I admit I did not know too much about it. I decided to dive into this topic a bit more when my son started experiencing frequent pain in his chest. He had a traumatic injury to the chest 14 months ago that healed in six weeks. There is a large amount of thickened traumatic scar tissue because of the depth of the injury. The pain started approximately two months after the wound healed, and he described it as a sharp stabbing pain that would take his breath away.

By the WoundSource Editors

After an injury or surgery, the body responds by forming scar tissue. Scar formation is a normal part of the wound healing process, but not all scars are the same. Some scars form in only the superficial epidermal layers, whereas others encompass deeper subdermal layers, involving nerves and tendons. The process of scar formation is the result of myofibroblast cells forming new collagen fibers to repair a wound.

By the WoundSource Editors

The number of surgical procedures performed in the United States has been increasing annually by as much as 300% over a 10-year period. Although technological advances in surgical procedures have allowed some procedures to be performed using minimally invasive techniques, many operations still require incisions, which require special care to prevent dehiscence and surgical site infections (SSIs). SSIs occur in 2% to 4% of all patients undergoing surgical procedures, and they are among the most expensive inpatient harms, adding approximately $30,000 to the total hospital cost per infection.

Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine Journal Review Club
Editor's note: This post is part of the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine (TUSPM) journal review club blog series. In each blog post, a TUSPM student will review a journal article relevant to wound management and related topics and provide their evaluation of the clinical research therein.