Beyond the Scar: How SMR Therapy Supports Recovery After Surgery

colinliggett
Jul 21
2 min read

For many people, surgery is just the beginning of the healing process, not the end. Weeks or months after a procedure, you might find yourself wondering why certain areas still feel tight, weak, or painful… even when the incision has healed and scans look “normal.”

This is where Sensorimotor Repatterning (SMR) can make all the difference.

The Hidden Impact of Surgery on the Nervous System

Surgery doesn’t just affect the muscles or joints—it also creates lasting effects in the nervous system. The brain often “remembers” the injury or surgical site and may begin to treat it as unsafe, even long after the healing process is complete.

This can lead to:

Altered motor control or coordination
Persistent pain or tension
Compensation patterns in other areas of the body
Muscles that test weak despite rehab

What SMR Does Differently

Unlike standard rehabilitation approaches, SMR examines how your brain communicates with your body, particularly the muscles and joints affected by surgery. Through a combination of manual muscle testing, acupoint stimulation, and neuro-functional corrections, we identify and restore proper function.

Here’s what that means practically:

Muscles that have been “shut down” due to surgery can be switched back on
Faulty sensory input from scar tissue or disrupted tissue can be corrected
Pain caused by poor compensation patterns can be reduced or eliminated

Real-Life Example: A Shoulder Surgery Client

A client came in months after shoulder surgery. Though the incision had healed well, they still couldn’t lift their arm overhead without pain. Muscle testing showed multiple weak or inhibited muscles, not just in the shoulder, but in the opposite hip and spine. Within one session of SMR, several of those muscles tested strong again, and the overhead range of motion improved noticeably, without pain.

What to Expect in a Post-Surgery SMR Session

In your first session, we test 30–60 muscles bilaterally (both sides) across the body to assess how your nervous system is functioning. We pay special attention to:

Areas around the surgical site
Muscles that should stabilize the joint or region
Compensation patterns that may have developed post-surgery

Each session includes both assessment and treatment, so you’ll leave not only understanding what’s going on, but often feeling immediate improvements in strength or movement.

Is SMR Right for You After Surgery?

SMR can be helpful if:

You’ve completed your surgical rehab but still have lingering issues
You notice new pains or compensation in other areas
You’re stuck in a plateau and can’t regain full function
Your pain doesn’t match what imaging or rehab reports suggest

Closing Thoughts

Surgery can save lives and restore structure, but Sensorimotor Repatterning helps your body regain trust in itself. It bridges the gap between mechanical healing and functional recovery.

If you’re post-surgery and still feel like something’s not right, SMR might be the missing piece in your healing journey.

Read client success stories: www.vansmr.ca/testimonials