February is the month of Love and heart health awareness. Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Heart Month!
I want to bring awareness to recovery considerations after having a cardiac surgical procedure.
For many babies, children and adults, having a cardiac procedure or surgery can be life-enhancing or life-saving.
Scars can come from IV lines, PICC lines, groin access, vessel grafts from the extremities for cardiac bypass, pacemakers, left ventricle assist devices, and open heart surgery (and more).
I have treated many people for cardiac-related scar tissue years or decades after their procedure. Scar tissue can cause chronic pain, block good brain to muscle connection, block optimal lymphatic flow, and so much more.
For example, a midline sternal scar is long, and over a bone that has been sawed open and wired back together. That’s a traumatic experience to go through!
If this tissue doesn’t move well, a person could easily have muscle tightness or discomfort/pain through their chest and shoulders.
For a CABG, or coronary artery bypass graft, often healthy veins are stripped from the legs and used to re-route blood supply around the blocked heart vessels. The person has scars on their leg, as well as their chest split open and central IV lines often into the heart and peripheral IV lines.
It is important to address the trauma at all levels ( physically, emotionally and spiritually). Changing the mobility of your scar can change your life and quality of movement.
The Abdominal Scar Course would be a great resource to learn more about how to improve recovery. It’s never too late to work on a scar! It includes The Scar Trauma Journal and The Scar Taping Video.
