What happens when scar tissue pops?

Author: Marlon Larkin II  |  Last update: Sunday, March 30, 2025

As you start introducing new movements or increase range of motion, scar tissue can produce a popping sensation when it separates or breaks apart. It may seem alarming at the time, but can result in decreased pain and improved mobility. Crepitus may also occur with osteoarthritis (but not always).

Is it normal for scar tissue to pop?

After a surgical procedure, an excess of scar tissue is formed by the body at the site of the procedure and could make a popping noise as it breaks up in the weeks and months to follow.

What does it feel like when scar tissue releases?

Scar Tissue Release Therapy is a gentle yet effective modality. In your session you may feel such sensations as a slight tugging or pressure as the scar tissue is released.

What happens when scar tissue is broken?

The most common physiological effects that occur to break down scar tissue include increased temperature, increased oxygenation and the breakdown/realignment of collagen fibres.

Does scar tissue make a popping sound?

Following surgery, the sensation of painless popping or clicking is associated with scar tissue and post-operative inflammation. It's not a big concern as long as it remains painless and doesn't last longer than a year after surgery.

How To Break Up Painful Scar Tissue To Help Heal After A Knee Replacement

Does scar tissue puff up?

This is called a hypertrophic scar. Sometimes scar tissue grows over the boundaries of the original wound, creating a puffy, round protrusion called a keloid. Hypertrophic scars and keloids may be itchy, tender, or painful.

Can you hear muscle knots pop?

Trigger points, or muscle knots, are hyperirritable spots within a taut band of skeletal muscle. The pressure applied during therapy can cause these points to release, sometimes resulting in a popping sound.

When is it too late to massage scar tissue?

For best results, you should perform scar massage for at least 10 minutes, twice a day, for six months. You should only stop sooner than that if the scar starts showing signs of infection or you experience intolerable discomfort.

What does torn scar tissue feel like?

Scar tissue can have a local area of pain when touched or stretched or it can produce a referred pain that feel like that of a nerve which is a constant annoying burn that occasionally turns sharp.

Does massage actually break up scar tissue?

Cross friction or transverse friction massage is an excellent scar massage technique. This treatment entails massaging the scar line with one or two fingers. This approach aids in the scar's remodeling. It also guarantees that the scar's collagen strands are properly positioned.

What happens if you don't massage scar tissue?

You should carry on massaging your scars for at least three to six months after your surgery or injury. What happens if I do not do anything? Your scar could become hard and inflexible or adhesions may form. Scars that cross a joint could stop you being able to bend or straighten the joint (a contracture).

What causes scar tissue to flare up?

Some people experience scar tissue pain due to fibrosis, which occurs when the body grows excessive scar tissue. Fibrosis causes adhesions that may lead to ongoing pain, inflammation, and loss of function of the tissue or joint.

Why is my scar bubbling up?

A keloid scar is when a scar keeps growing and becomes bigger than the original wound. It can happen if you have too much of a substance called collagen in your skin. It can happen after any sort of injury or damage to your skin such as a cut, burn, surgery, acne or a body piercing.

Does internal scar tissue keep growing?

Why internal scars won't stop growing. Normal scar tissue forms to heal an internal wound and quietly retreats when the job is done. But in many common diseases — kidney, liver and lung fibrosis — the scar tissue goes rogue and strangles vital organs. These diseases are largely untreatable and ultimately fatal.

Can scar tissue feel crunchy?

That crunchy feeling can be scar tissue, metabolic waste buildup, or fascial adhesions in your muscle.

When scar tissue breaks up, does it pop?

As you start introducing new movements or increase range of motion, scar tissue can produce a popping sensation when it separates or breaks apart. It may seem alarming at the time, but can result in decreased pain and improved mobility.

What happens when scar tissue breaks down?

By breaking up scar tissue, you'll increase blood flow, which can speed up healing in the injured area and help your body in its overall recovery process.

What does torn tissue feel like?

When a soft tissue injury occurs, many individuals immediately feel pain and experience swelling and stiffness, although these symptoms may be delayed in some cases. Another delayed factor, bruising may follow 24 to 48 hours after the injury.

Does heat help break up scar tissue?

Heat helps to soften up the scar tissue that exists as a result of an old injury or a previous surgery. Scar tissue is formed in random, criss-crossing patterns, has poor circulation, and contracts when you sleep. Stiff, old scar tissue is not your friend.

What does internal scar tissue pain feel like?

Description of Scar Tissue Pain

It is often described as aching, burning, stabbing, throbbing, or tingling in or around the scarred area.

When is it too late to use silicone gel for scars?

The timing of silicone scar sheet use can affect its efficacy, but it is generally never too late to start using them. While the best results are often seen when treatment begins shortly after wound closure or the formation of a scar, established scars can also show improvement.

What is the crunchy feeling when massaging?

Lack of blood supply to the muscle causes lactic acid to build up, over time this can solidify with calcium deposits and is often the reason we hear a crunching sound when trying to realise the knots.

Why did I feel a pop in my muscle?

This strain tears the muscle all the way through, sometimes causing a "pop" sensation as the muscle rips into two separate pieces or shears away from its tendon. Grade III strains are serious injuries that cause complete loss of muscle function, as well as considerable pain, swelling, tenderness and discoloration.

What is the popping sound when massage?

That's just air or gas bubbles being released in the synovial fluid around the joint.

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