Help us raise money to fund research into Sharon Wheeler’s Scarwork

Hi, I am Dr Beverley de Valois PhD. I am a researcher representing Sharon Wheeler's ScarWork (UK) Committee.

In 2019/2020, we raised £10,132 through JustGiving. This has funded a research project investigating using ScarWork in the management of post breast surgery pain syndrome (PBSPS) described below. Thank you to everyone who gave so generously to this enable this project.

Please help us start a second project to enable further scientific understanding of how scars react to ScarWork. The funds raised will be divided between funding our next research project and also enabling some organisational developments to support our research work.

Sharon Wheeler's ScarWork (UK) Committee is a voluntary organisation. However, we need some limited funds to support organisational costs related to research. At the moment, these are the costs associated with maintaining a website. This will allow us to become non-commercial partners of the National Institute for Health Research (see below). It will also promote the benefits of ScarWork and our research projects.

Sharon Wheeler is the patron of Sharon Wheeler's ScarWork (UK) Committee.

About Sharon Wheeler and ScarWork

ScarWork is the brainchild of Sharon Wheeler from Seattle USA. In 1970, at the age of 23, she trained with Dr Ida P Rolf, the founder of Rolfing/Structural Integration https://wheelerfascialwork.com/the-rolfing-legacy/about-sharon .

Sharon went on to discover and develop original techniques to promote changes in scars after surgery or accidents https://wheelerfascialwork.com/ceu-courses/scar. She continues to teach worldwide and has a number of accredited teaches across Europe sharing these skills.

Why do we need to raise this money?

On behalf of Sharon Wheeler, Sharon Wheeler’s ScarWork (UK) Committee is looking to raise funds to expand our research portfolio and further our understanding of ScarWork.

Medical practitioners, service providers and insurance companies need to see clinical trials reporting the effectiveness of treatments before they can be approved. Clinical observation shows that many people who experience pain and discomfort after an accident or surgery experience relief with ScarWork.

Research is needed to understand and document the changes, which can be remarkable. In some instances, there are observable visual changes as illustrated below, while many patients report significant physical and emotional changes.

How we will use this money

Sharon Wheeler’s ScarWork (UK) Committee raises research funds through JustGiving, from charitable donations, and through the ScarWork Gathering, an event for ScarWork practitioners. These funds will be pooled to fund an annual research grant, open to applicants in the UK.

In 2021, our objective is to become a non-commercial research partner of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), which supports high quality research projects https://www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/nihr-non-commercial-partner-list/11458 . To do this, we need to have a website platform to issue calls for research grant applications. We are grateful to volunteers Neil Marshall and Amy Peak who are developing the website; we need funds to support the platform.

Some perspectives on the benefits of Sharon Wheeler's ScarWork treatment

Find out more about Dr Schleip's impressions of ScarWork in this interview with Sharon Wheeler.

Who are we?

Sharon Wheeler’s Scarwork (UK) Committee is an organisation of volunteers working to further the work of Sharon Wheeler’s Scarwork by:

1. Expanding awareness of Sharon Wheeler’s ScarWork

2. Representing the interests of fully certified Sharon Wheeler’s ScarWork practitioners

3. Establishing and maintaining the highest professional standards of practice for Sharon Wheeler’s ScarWork in the UK

4. Overseeing and accrediting Sharon Wheeler’s ScarWork education to ensure excellence in training

5. Funding evidence-based research on the benefits of Sharon Wheeler’s ScarWork

6. Promoting evidence-based research to the public, the media and other healthcare providers

7. Promoting integrated healthcare and contribute to the development of national healthcare policy.

Our members are:

Dr Beverley de Valois – Research

Emma Holly – Joint Vice-Chair

Laura Lane – Administrator

Jan Trewartha – Joint Vice-Chair

John Wheeler – Chair and Treasurer

Volunteer project workers:

Neil Marshall, Website Developer

Amy Peak, Marketing Advisor

Our current research project

Meet Dr Beverley de Valois PhD

Thanks to JustGiving donations, we realised our target of £10,000 to start our first research project. This study aims to investigate how ScarWork can alleviate post breast surgery pain syndrome (PBSPS), a distressing condition experienced by many women who have undergone surgical interventions for breast cancer.

We are delighted to have the active involvement of two oncologists in this study. Information will be updated here as we progress with this project which, COVID restrictions allowing, is planned to start recruitment in the spring of 2021.

To find out more about Sharon Wheeler's ScarWork

We will provide a link to the ScarWork UK website when it goes live. In the meantime, follow these links to find out more about aspects of ScarWork:

Read some therapist case studies: https://scarwork.com/case-study-examples/

Read about Sharon Wheeler: https://wheelerfascialwork.com/

Find a practitioner of Sharon Wheeler’s ScarWork: https://www.bodyinharmony.org.uk/about-us/directory

Scars, Adhesions and the Biotensegral Body edited by Jan E Trewartha and Sharon L Wheeler available from Handspring Publishing https://www.handspringpublishing.com/product/scars-adhesions-and-the-biotensegral-body/ Watch this video to find out more about this book and Sharon Wheeler's ScarWork.

Thank you!

On behalf of Sharon Wheeler and Sharon Wheeler’s ScarWork (UK) Committee, many many thanks for your support.