We are highly trained in treating both of these causes of pain and dysfunction. Adhesion formation occurs after trauma to the tissues, as a response to the tissue damage. After an injury, infection or surgery, tiny but strong collagen fibers form as part of the body's response to the trauma. These collagen fibers form adhesions by laying down 'cross-links' in random patterns. These cross-linked adhesions are the building blocks of scar tissue.
Adhesions can be tough and wiry, or filmy and thin.
They may be large enough to be seen by diagnostic tests, or so small that they are microscopic. Either way, they can exert tremendous tensile forces on the tissues where they form. Adhesions and cross-links remain in our bodies long after the original inflammation or trauma has healed. As the body's tissues heal and adhesions are formed, the tissues begin to shrink somewhat, resulting in decreased movement in the injured area. Thus, the healing process can actually create more mechanical irritation and more cross-linking of collagen fibers, perpetuating the cycle of adhesion formation.