Bones get broken, ligaments get sprained, tendons get strained, muscles get torn, skin gets cut, etc. The usual stuff of injuries. Tissue damage heals. Adhesions are the body's way of bandaging itself. Adhesions can easily be freed by massage, and those who have received physical therapy after an injury often receive massage, especially athletes.
People cringe during and after injury and guard the injured part during healing.
It prevents full recovery from injury and may predispose a person to further soft-tissue injuries. Failure to release the cringing response predisposes one to further injury and creates the sensation of lingering injury. The brain is largely an organ of learning or conditioning. The cringing response can only be ended by unlearning it. We are used to thinking of learning, of gaining new abilities.