Scars can occur not only for cuts but micro-tears of muscle fibers during excessive activity (e.g. repetitive strain injury) and even by over-stretching.
How do scars effect you?
The nature of the new connective tissue is to approximate the site of injury. This may cause shortening of the connective tissue depending on the severity of the injury, resulting in a decreased range of motion in that area. You may notice this when you touch the scar and try to move it relative to the tissue around it. It may not move as smoothly as the rest of your skin and even appear puckered.
Depending on the area of the scar, its limitations vary.
Let's take the thigh muscles (quads). If we were to have a scar on this muscle, it could limit one's ability to run/walk properly equally. On the leg with the scar, it may not allow for you to extend your leg back during your stride as much as the other leg. Resulting in an imbalanced gait and more work (larger stride) for the non-scarred leg. It may even result in knee pain, due to it limiting the movement of the knee cap that rests on the end of the thigh muscle.
How to ensure your scar doesn't create future injuries.
1) Allow the cut/injury to heal properly by resting and decreasing the inflammation (e.g. ice)
2) Check to see if your scar has any puckering or adherence to the surrounding tissues or have a Registered Health Practitioner (e.g. Registered Massage Therapist) check for you
3) Gently increase the mobility of the scar or have a Registered Massage Therapists that specialize in soft tissue mobilize it for you
Remember even old scars from years ago may still be causing you problems today!
Do you have any interesting scars?
