Scarwork: A Gentle Approach To Working With Scar Tissue
Sharon Wheeler teaching ScarWork - Walpole, ME. 2026
What Is ScarWork? A Gentle Approach to Working With Scar Tissue
This summer, I traveled to Maine to study ScarWork, a gentle approach to working with scar tissue developed by Structural Integration practitioner and teacher Sharon Wheeler.
After more than 20 years as a massage therapist, I still love discovering new ways of working with the body. What interested me most about ScarWork was how different it felt from the idea that scar tissue needs to be pushed, stretched or aggressively “broken down.” ScarWork is a gentle approach. I'm excited to bring this work into my massage therapy practice in NYC's Financial District.
What happens to the tissue after a scar?
A scar is part of the body's natural healing process. After surgery, injury or trauma to the tissue, the body creates new tissue to repair the area. Although the skin may eventually look completely healed, the tissue underneath may not feel quite the same as the surrounding area.A scar may feel tight, thick, numb, sensitive, raised, indented or simply different. The layers underneath may also have less movement between them.
Every scar is different.
One of the principles I appreciated in Sharon Wheeler's teaching is that there isn't a single formula for working with a scar. Instead, the practitioner listens with their hands and responds to the quality of the tissue they find.
ScarWork isn't about forcing the tissue.
ScarWork uses surprisingly light touch. Rather than trying to force a scar to change, the work gently explores the scar and the surrounding layers of connective tissue, or fascia.I love this approach because it fits naturally with the way I already work: the body doesn't always need more force to create change.
Sometimes less really is more.
The work may begin very superficially and gradually explore deeper layers when appropriate. Different ScarWork techniques are used depending on how the tissue feels, rather than following the same routine for every scar.
What kinds of scars can be worked with?
Once a scar is fully healed and it is appropriate to work with the area, ScarWork may be used with many types of scars, including:
C-section scars
Abdominal and other surgical scars
Joint replacement or orthopedic surgery scars
Mastectomy and breast surgery scars
Scars from accidents or injuries
Laparoscopic surgery scars
Older scars from surgeries or injuries many years ago
A scar doesn't necessarily have to be painful or particularly noticeable for someone to be curious about working with it.
Sometimes a person simply notices that an area feels different, restricted or disconnected compared with the tissue around it.
What might change?
The intention of ScarWork is primarily to improve the quality and integration of the tissue, rather than to erase the visible scar.
Depending on the individual scar, people may notice changes in the way the tissue feels or moves. Areas of tightness, pulling, numbness or sensitivity may also respond to the work.The appearance of a scar may soften or become smoother as the underlying tissue changes, but cosmetic change isn't the primary goal—and the scar itself doesn't simply disappear.
Not everyone wants their scar to change.
One of the things that surprised me during my ScarWork training was learning that not everyone wants their scar to change. For some people, a scar may be a badge of honor, a reminder of something they've lived through, or a connection to a person or important event in their life.
ScarWork isn't about deciding that a scar needs to look or feel different. It's about respecting the person, and their relationship with their scar. Whether or how we work with a scar is always their choice.
What does ScarWork feel like?
This may be the most surprising part: ScarWork is gentle, and it should not hurt.
During our training in Maine, Sharon reminded the people who volunteered as models that ScarWork should not be painful. She emphasized that, as practitioners, we aren't on the client's side of the skin, we can't know exactly what they're feeling. Communication is an important part of the work, and clients are encouraged to speak up if anything feels uncomfortable.
If you're imagining someone digging into a tender scar or trying to forcibly break apart scar tissue, ScarWork is a different approach. The touch can be light, subtle and exploratory. I work gradually, paying attention to the tissue while also checking in with you. It felt very much in line with the way I already work: gently, listening to the tissue and allowing the body to respond rather than forcing change.
Why ScarWork resonated with me.
Learning ScarWork reinforced something I've come to appreciate more and more over my years of practicing massage therapy: We don't always have to force the body to change. As with all of my hands-on work, you are always encouraged to tell me what you're feeling. You are the only person who knows what the work feels like from inside your body.
Sometimes our job as practitioners is to create the right conditions, listen carefully and allow the tissue to respond.
That's one of the things that drew me to ScarWork, and why it feels like a natural addition to my work at EarthySoul.
I'm excited to offer another gentle option for people who are curious about their scars, whether a scar is relatively recent or has been part of their body for many years.
ScarWork was developed by Sharon Wheeler, a Structural Integrator who trained with Dr. Ida P. Rolf and has spent decades developing her approach to working with scars and connective tissue.