Our goal is to:
1) make massage & burn scar therapy available to all burn survivors regardless of ability to pay.
2) bring massage & burn scar therapy into hospitals so that burn patients can begin to receive healing touch early in their recovery.
3) gather data & fund research to study the effects of massage & Burn Scar Therapy on burn survivors.
4) establish a program to teach massage therapists and other health professionals about Burn Scar Therapy, a gentle, healing modality.
What is Burn Scar Therapy?
Burn Scar Therapy is a very gentle form of bodywork. It combines
Manual Lymph Drainage, Craniosacral Therapy, Myofascial Scar Release and Therapeutic Massage. They are all light touch therapies so there is little to no pain to re-traumatize the area or the patient, and it is effective on new scars and old.
Manual Lymph Drainage helps to restore the lymph system which lies right under your skin and is destroyed in 2nd, 3rd and 4th degree burns. The lymph system is what carries away debris as your body is trying to heal. If its not doing its job, there is no room for healing properties to come into the injured area. Helping your lymph system to work as efficiently as possible is the first step to enhance your healing.
Craniosacral Therapy works with your brain and spinal cord to treat the effects that the trauma and the subsequent surgeries have on your nervous system. It is a light touch therapy that helps to calm the "fight or flight" response and restore normalcy to your whole body. It can help with PTSD, anxiety, depression, digestive issues, insomnia, cognitive difficulties, and more.
Myofascial Scar Release has been effective in decreasing the thickness
of scars and making them more pliable. By working gently with the skin and underlying tissues, the therapist does not activate the body's protective mechanisms. Once your body is confident that we won't hurt it, we can gradually increase the intensity of the scar work to your tolerance . . . always to your tolerance!
Therapeutic Massage is the soothing and very important last step of the Burn Scar Therapy protocol. Research shows that massage has been proven to be effective for burn survivors by decreasing pain and itching and increasing mobility and range of motion. Research has also shown that massage is beneficial by decreasing depression, anger and anxiety and improving mood.
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