Massage as an effective intervention in the management of post-operative scarring

Scarring is a normal part of the wound healing process, but aberrant wound healing can result in hypertrophic scarring. Hypertrophic scarring, commonly characterized by an excess of collagen formation and could reduce movement, often occurs following surgery with a rate between 40% and 94%. Treatment for scarring itself became a significant economic burden. Over 180,000 scar revision surgeries were performed in the United States alone in 2019.

Scar massage is a widely used treatment modality.

This intervention is thoroughly discussed in the literature relating to burns rehabilitation, however, the evidence for its use in treating linear scars following surgery is limited.

A study was conducted to review studies on scar massage for the treatment of postsurgical cutaneous scars.

The authors found 25 studies that met their inclusion criteria, reporting on a combined sample of 1515 participants.

Scars to the chest or breast area were the largest cohort with 1084 participants from four studies, while abdominal scars were the most frequently studied and accounted for 8 studies ( n = 99 participants). Only two papers addressed hand or wrist scars (92 participants).

Most studies reported favorable outcomes for scar massage, however the authors cannot make a definite conclusion as the study was not standardized with 45 different outcome measures. In addition, the scar massage intervention varied from a single session to three treatments daily for 6 months. The implementation of additional rehabilitation interventions in some studies also confounded the results.

The authors concluded that overall findings suggest that while scar massage may benefit from reducing pain, increasing movement, and improving scar characteristics; there is a lack of consistent research methods, intervention protocols, and outcome measures. This scoping review highlights the heterogeneous nature of research into scar massage following surgery and supports the need for further research to substantiate its use in the clinical setting.