15 peer-reviewed studies linked to Scars (diagnostic code 7805) in the VA Ready app, sourced from PubMed and the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Every citation is real and links to the source — bring them to your C&P exam or hand them to your VSO.
Meta-analysisPrimary2023
Effects of scar massage on burn scars: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Clin Nurs · 2023
- Scar massage significantly reduced scar pain (SMD -2.39), scar thickness, pruritus (SMD -1.89), and anxiety (SMD -1.52).
- No significant effect on depression was found.
- Hypertrophic scar development is noted as highly prevalent after burns.
Why it matters: Shows a low-cost intervention can reduce the painful and functional symptoms central to scar disability, while underscoring how prevalent symptomatic burn scars are.
View on PubMed ↗Cohort studyPrimary2021
Burn scar contracture release surgery effectively improves functional range of motion, disability and quality of life: A pre/post cohort study with long-term follow-up in a Low- and Middle-Income Country.Burns · 2021
- Burn scar contractures limit joint range of motion and substantially impact disability and quality of life.
- Contracture release surgery effectively improved functional range of motion, disability, and quality of life.
Why it matters: Demonstrates that scar contractures cause functional ROM loss and disability that respond to treatment, directly supporting the functional-effects basis of DC 7805.
View on PubMed ↗Cohort studyPrimary2019
Goniometric Measurement of Burn Scar Contracture: A Paradigm Shift Challenging the Standard.J Burn Care Res · 2019
- Burn scar contracture caused significantly greater measured range-of-motion limitation under a cutaneokinematic protocol (38.8%) than standard goniometry (32.1%).
- Greater percentage of cutaneous functional units scarred correlated with worse ROM outcome.
Why it matters: Directly links scarring to measurable joint range-of-motion loss, the functional-effect basis of DC 7805.
View on PubMed ↗Systematic reviewPrimary2017
Prevalence of scar contractures after burn: A systematic review.Burns · 2017
- Systematically reviews the prevalence of scar contractures after burn injury across the literature.
Why it matters: Quantifies how often scarring produces functional contractures, supporting the prevalence and functional-impairment basis of DC 7805.
View on PubMed ↗StudyPrimary2017
Development of International Outcomes Instrument for Hand and Upper Extremity Burn Scar Contracture Release.J Burn Care Res · 2017
- Burn scar contractures are described as a common source of severe disability, motivating a dedicated upper-extremity outcome instrument (Stanford-ReSurge Burn Scar Contracture Scale).
- A 20-item disability/outcome scale was developed and field-tested; patients undergoing contracture release improved an average of 14 points from pre-op to 1 month post-op.
Why it matters: Provides a validated way to measure scar-related functional disability of the hand/upper extremity and demonstrates measurable functional change, relevant to functional-loss ratings for scars.
View on PubMed ↗Cohort studyPrimary2015
Changes in burn scar contracture: utilization of a severity scale and predictor of return to duty for service members.J Burn Care Res · 2015
- Developed and applied a Burn Scar Contracture Severity Scale to standardize quantification of contracture severity in military burn survivors.
- Scale scores correlated with DASH perceived-disability and AMA impairment scores (r = .417-.451).
- An ROC cutoff of 6.5 discriminated service members who returned to duty from those who did not.
Why it matters: Directly ties scar contracture severity to measurable disability, impairment, and ability to return to military duty in a combat-injured veteran population.
View on PubMed ↗Cohort studyPrimary2012
Formation of hypertrophic scars: evolution and susceptibility.J Plast Surg Hand Surg · 2012
- 122/204 patients (60%) developed a hypertrophic scar within 12 months of surgery, and 96% of those appeared within the first 3 months.
- 32% still had a hypertrophic scar at 12 months; most scars present at 3 months remained hypertrophic at 12 months.
- Smoking and younger age were associated with hypertrophic scar formation.
Why it matters: Establishes how common hypertrophic scarring is after routine surgery and that a large fraction persists long-term, supporting prevalence and natural-history claims for scar-based disability.
View on PubMed ↗Cohort studySupporting2026
Relationships between combat injury, pain, mobility and post-service employment: the ADVANCE study.Occup Environ Med · 2026
- 21.2% of combat-injured personnel were not in paid employment versus 14.3% of uninjured comparators.
- Among those injured without limb loss, injury had indirect effects on unemployment mediated by mobility (aRR 1.32) and pain (aRR 1.10).
Why it matters: Links deployment combat injury to chronic pain, reduced mobility, and post-service employment difficulty, supporting service-connection and occupational-impact context for disabling combat wounds and scars.
View on PubMed ↗Meta-analysisSupporting2024
Recurrence and Complications of Peri-operative Steroid Injection of Keloids: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Aesthetic Plast Surg · 2024
- Post-operative intralesional steroid injection produced significantly lower keloid recurrence than intra-operative (p<0.001) or pre-operative (p=0.009) injection.
- Keloids are characterized as a challenging fibroproliferative healing disorder prone to recurrence.
Why it matters: Documents the recurrence-prone nature of keloid scars even after combined surgical and steroid treatment, supporting persistence/chronicity of scar disability.
View on PubMed ↗Meta-analysisSupporting2023
Influence of scar age, laser type and laser treatment intervals on adult burn scars: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One · 2023
- Laser therapy significantly improved overall VSS/POSAS scores, vascularity, pliability, pigmentation, and scar height of adult burn scars.
- Treatment efficacy depended on time since injury, laser type (pulsed dye gave the greatest reduction), and treatment interval.
Why it matters: Provides pooled evidence on the effectiveness and limits of laser treatment for established burn scars, relevant to whether scar symptoms persist or improve with therapy.
View on PubMed ↗Cohort studySupporting2022
Older Patients and Patients with Severe Arteriosclerosis Are Less Likely to Develop Keloids and Hypertrophic Scars after Thoracic Midline Incision: A Survey-Based Analysis of 328 Cases.Plast Reconstr Surg · 2022
- 195/328 patients (59.5%) reported a pathologic (keloid or hypertrophic) scar after midline sternotomy, a high-tension incision site.
- Younger age and lower carotid intima-media thickness were associated with pathologic scarring (older/arteriosclerotic patients scarred less).
Why it matters: Quantifies a high rate of pathologic scarring at a high-tension surgical site and identifies host risk factors, supporting prevalence and susceptibility claims for disabling scars.
View on PubMed ↗Meta-analysisSupporting2020
The efficacy of bleomycin for treating keloid and hypertrophic scar: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Cosmet Dermatol · 2020
- Bleomycin produced significantly greater scar improvement than triamcinolone (SMD 0.59) and 5-FU (SMD 1.37).
- Pathologic scars are noted to cause itching, erythema, and psychological stress.
Why it matters: Demonstrates comparative treatment effectiveness for keloid/hypertrophic scars and documents the symptom burden these scars impose, relevant to symptomatic scar claims.
View on PubMed ↗Meta-analysisSupporting2019
Intralesional Injection of Botulinum Toxin Type A Compared with Intralesional Injection of Corticosteroid for the Treatment of Hypertrophic Scar and Keloid: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Med Sci Monit · 2019
- Intralesional botulinum toxin type A produced significantly better VAS, scar width, and Vancouver Scar Scale outcomes than placebo for hypertrophic scar and keloid.
- Botulinum toxin A was more effective than intralesional corticosteroid on VAS and effective-rate measures.
Why it matters: Adds RCT-level evidence on treatment options and symptom outcomes for pathologic scars, informing how often and how well painful/raised scars respond to therapy.
View on PubMed ↗Cross-sectionalSupporting2013
Body image and psychological outcome after severe skin and soft tissue infection requiring intensive care.Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · 2013
- At 1 year, 63.9% reported scar dissatisfaction, 51.1% body dissatisfaction, and 51.0% felt their body was less whole.
- Negative body image correlated with anxiety (r=0.59), depression (r=0.60), and PTSD-related symptoms (r=0.61).
Why it matters: Demonstrates that disfiguring scars carry significant psychological comorbidity (anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms), relevant to secondary mental-health conditions claimed alongside scars.
View on PubMed ↗Cross-sectionalSupporting2006
Quality of life of patients with keloid and hypertrophic scarring.Arch Dermatol Res · 2006
- Patients with keloid/hypertrophic scarring suffer quality-of-life impairment comparable to other chronic skin diseases, across psychological and physical domains.
- Physical impairment correlated significantly with pain, pruritus, and restriction of mobility.
Why it matters: Demonstrates measurable physical and psychological impairment from body scarring, supporting functional/QoL impact claims for body scars under DC 7802.
View on PubMed ↗