In researching massage and stretching techniques to break down scar tissue, I stumbled across a webpage describing "Resistance Flexibility Strength Training" (RSFT). They say that RSFT is like active stretching except instead of relaxing the muscle while stretching you contract it to resist the stretching force. It sounds essentially the same as eccentric strength training to me. They also claim that traditional stretching can actually cause more damage to the fascia, which seems to be consistent with some anecdotal evidence I've seen regarding stretching Dupuytren's contractures, and that RSFT is much more effective at improving range of motion and breaking down dense fascia.

See their claims here:
https://www.thegeniusofflexibility.com/r...ing/fascia.html

And there's a study at the bottom of this page that seems to suggest RSFT is more effective than traditional stretching for improving range of motion, although the sample size is small and it was NOT performed by an unbiased third party:
https://www.thegeniusofflexibility.com/r...gress-2012.html

Note that I am in no way associated with this website, and I am not advocating use of their program for treatment of Dupuytren or Ledderhose. Their claims with regards to RSFT's effects on dense fascia seem unsubstantiated as far as I can tell.

This got me thinking, though. Maybe they're actually on to something here. I know eccentric exercise has been shown to be effective in treating tendinitis and other tendinopathies. Could it be effective in treating scar tissue as well? Is anybody aware of any scientific studies regarding the use of eccentric exercise to break down excess collagen? Or better yet, has anybody tried using it to treat their Dupuytren's or Ledderhose disease?

Edited 09/29/15 01:33