Questioni pulled my back really bad in march 2007, prior to that i had a minor car accident where i was rear ended at stop light. but the accident in march 2007 was the worse because i pulled really bad, the pain started from my left rib to my mid back (left side). the first month i went to a chiropractic then my doctor send me do therapy, i did both for about five months.
in April 2008 i lifted a heavy box at work and pain came back, before that i still had some muscle spasms and tightness, but i was able to work through it.
now i seeing a chiropractic and told me that i have a lot of scar tissue. he does some back adjustments and deep tissue massage.
my question is do i really need adjustments?, i feel that the deep tissue massage is what is helping me the most and what other things i can do to help me get rid of the scar tissue in my back?
AnswerRoberto,
There's no way to know for sure if you really have scar tissue except to perform an MRI scan with gadolinium contrast enhancement (this means they inject you with this stuff called gadolinium and then do the MRI scan). Even with this procedure, it may not detect minor amounts of scar tissue. We assume scar tissue based on how your muscles and fascia feel to our fingers, and assume it also based on the history of injury where there could have been tearing of tissues. If you do have scar tissue, or, simpler, fascial adhesion, then the best way to address it is by prep'ing the area with ultrasound (in a 100% sound setting) to warm up the tissue, and then to do Graston Technique (see www.grastontechnique.com). As far as adjustments, if the underlying joint system is stuck or locked up and malfunctioning, then joint manipulation is helpful. However, if you've been getting it and it's not comfortable, not working, not effective, then you must consider changing how it's done or abandoning it for a while.
I hope this helps... You may need to "google" the term "fascia" or "Myofascia" to better understand what it is. Check out the Graston website.
Dr. G
