Hi, all! In September, I was diagnosed with ES. I have ~4cm ossified styloids and calcified ligaments on both sides. I’m meeting with Dr Hackman next month to talk about treatment, which I’m assuming will be surgery. I’m going to ask him about this too, but wanted to hear from people who have had surgery…
One thing I’m concerned about is the scarring/scar tissue. Not from an aesthetic standpoint, but from an internal scars causing issues in my neck standpoint. I had surgery on my pinky years ago and had so much trouble with scar tissue, even after a scar tissue removal surgery and my pinky is basically permanently scarred into hooked position. I worry I’ll have the same scarring issue in my neck and it could make things worse.
Has anyone had trouble with scar tissue or ashesions later after surgery?
I’m glad that you’re seeing Dr Hackman as it sounds as if he’s a good, caring surgeon!
We have had some members who’ve had problems with scar tissue, apparently cold laser therapy has been used to help with this- @MusicGeek who had surgery a while ago first mentioned it as she had scar tissue causing problems, & this helped.
Massaging the area after the incision has healed over can help too, you can use Mederma, Bio oil, coconut oil. @spratt mentions Bromelain in this discussion, I don’t know if it helped him… After my latest doctors appointment - General - Living with Eagle
It sounds like you’re one of the unlucky ones whose body is very productive with scar tissue, so you’re wise to look into this beforehand…
I had a lot of scar tissue from my TOS surgery. But my surgeon (Dr. Kamran Aghayev) actually used a unique fat grafting technique where he did liposuction of some belly fat and put that fat inside the body during/after surgery to protect the nerves and reduce internal scar tissue formation. It seems to have been very effective as I had excellent results from the surgery despite a lot of scarring outside the body.
He said that he has generally seen excellent results from this technique and it even reduces recovery times significantly. He said he now uses this technique with every surgery he does. He will also be doing my Eagle syndrome surgery this year so I feel very confident in proceeding with him. It doesn’t seem like there is any other surgeon who uses this technique.
I think Dr. Aghayev’s approach to reducing scar tissue & helping expedite healing is quite novel. I hope he teaches it to other surgeons & writes it up in a research paper to share internationally if it’s proven to be helpful over the long term.
I recently learned that Dr. Hepworth uses medical grade sheep tissue as a scar tissue deterrent around the IJV once he decompresses it. Supposedly, it acts sort of like a teflon barrier in that it provides a slicker surface which doesn’t allow scar tissue to adhere.
Wow! That’s wild… and as a vegetarian, gross. Very interesting though. Dr Hackman didn’t seem concerned that I would have issues with scarring after we talked and I showed him my scarred finger, so I hope he’s right!
You made me laugh. I understand your point of view.
I think the key to helping reduce scarring is to start gently massaging the incision area once the incision is fully healed. Gentle finger tip massage w/ some Bio oil, olive oil, coconut oil or whatever seems best to you is a good way to start. As healing progresses, the touch can become firmer. There are also devices you can use that will gently stimulate the area & can help reduce scar tissue. Cold laser is another approach some have used. You can search “scar” or “scar reduction” using the magnifying glass search tool at the top of the page for other suggestions.
@334455 - I just saw this post of yours. I’m very sorry your surgery produced scar tissue that is now strangling your IJV.
Scar tissue can sometimes be reduced by cold laser therapy, but it has to be kept away from the thyroid. I’ve also heard of low dose radiation being used to help reduce it. Another option is to have the surgery redone with the surgeon wrapping medical grade sheep tissue around your IJV to make it stronger & less prone to being compressed by scar tissue. That is a procedure Dr. Hepworth uses in some of his patients.
Very interesting though. Dr Hackman didn’t seem concerned that I would have issues with scarring after we talked and I showed him my scarred finger, so I hope he’s right! 