Taping All Scars

Overview

As health professionals working with patients and clients, we will have all encountered scars and possibly even treated them. In some countries, training in treating scars has been part of our basic education, in others it has not. 

The non-invasive treatment options we have at our disposal include: exercise & splinting, scar massage, shockwave, therapy, vacuum massage & tuning forks, and the use of various tapes. Training in a number of these techniques is needed for improved patient outcomes. 

The importance of checking for scars (burn scars, surgical scars, hypertrophic scars, keloid scars, atrophic scars, contracture scars, and active scars), their state, and the influence they can have on the whole body will be explored in this course. 

You will gain an understanding that

• Scars can have a major influence on many body systems, and 
• That post operative changes in the deeper layer of the scar need not correspond to where the incision at the surface was made; this area might be much larger than the area of the visible scar, and
• In the case of burn scars, damage to deeper layers will depend on the seriousness and depth of the wound.

Scarring and wound healing has been researched extensively, and guidelines and consensus statements for both surgical scars (keloid & hypertrophic) and burn scars have been developed. We've learned that pathological responses produced by scars are not limited to the body area where the scar is located. What can be learnt from the current literature and the research papers on various wound types? Do we need to read critically? And what about children?  

In this 2-hour course, all mentioned above, the recognition and management of the various scars, and scar tape applications will be discussed.  How to assess, and how to apply tape to help manage scars - and scar healing - will become clear.

We will also cover the results of taping scars, from the very young to the elderly patients.

Learning Objectives

In this online course, you will learn:

1. A basic understanding of the various scar types and the physiological changes due to scarring in the body. 
   
   
2. How the healing process, and negative results of older scars, can be influenced by using elastic tape to decrease the tension onto the scar.
   
   
3. How to comprehend the outcomes of the current literature regarding scar treatment with tape in both surgical and burn scars.

You will likely become motivated in future to not only check for any scars all over the body on all your patients and clients, but also to assess if these scars are causing problems elsewhere. 

Audience

This course is intended for health professionals, including physiotherapists, who already possess a working knowledge of the use of elastic kinesiology tape on patients.