Scar Massage After C-Section…You Need To Know This!

Scar Massage after C-Section

With almost 40% of women today having C-sections, why is nobody telling us how important it is that we learn how to do scar massage after having this surgery? If any of you postpartums out there are experiencing low back pain, pain in the butt (and I’m not talking about the kids or your partner) sciatic pain, pain in legs and hips, and also believe it or not, any issues with digestion such as irritable bowel syndrome or elimination difficulties you might want to, make yourself a cup of red raspberry leaf tea, stick your tired feet in a ginger root soak, throw the heated bed buddy over your shoulders and read this article. Now that’s what I call multi-tasking!!

Who Knew?

It’s not the scar itself that is the problem it’s the adhesions formed underneath the scar that start to create havoc on other body parts. An adhesion is a band of scar tissue that binds two parts of your tissue together. This is not a good thing because they should remain separate, and you already have enough going on, you don’t need your body parts sticking together!

So here is some info that I found:

Abdominal adhesions are a common complication of surgery, occurring in up to 93% of people who undergo abdominal or pelvic surgery.

Most adhesions are painless and do not cause complications. However, adhesions cause 60%-70% of small bowel obstructions in adults and are believed to contribute to the development of chronic pelvic pain… Hmmm that’s interesting!

Adhesions typically begin to form within the first few days after surgery, but they may not produce symptoms for months or even years. The thing with adhesions is that they can cause organs such as the uterus and colon (an example) to bind to each other instead of being in their separate places in the cavity…Yikes!

As scar tissue begins to restrict motion of the small intestines, passing food through the digestive system becomes progressively more difficult. The bowel may become blocked… Say what!

In extreme cases, adhesions may form fibrous bands around a segment of an intestine. This constricts blood flow and leads to tissue death. Oh that is just great…how come we don’t know this?

C-Section incisions have a higher chance of developing into hytrophic and Keloid scars than most surgical incisions. This is because collagen resorption is at its greatest when the uterus returns to its near normal size 48 hours after birth.

Although adhesions can occur anywhere, the most common locations are within the stomach, the pelvis, and the heart.

Ok so now that we know what we know, now what do we do!?

Here are some things I found that you can do.

First is self massage, a specific technique for scar massage (directions below). If this is not something you are comfortable doing, one option is finding a therapist who specializes in a deeper form of scar tissue massage, such as Myofascial Release, Visceral Manipulation, or Wurn Technique.

And believe it or not ultrasound can be used in conjunction with scar massage to break up scar tissue adhesions, although the article I found warned: make sure the ultrasound is not applied over the ovaries. Which I don’t understand because your ovaries have already had ultrasounds how many times during the pregnancy?…but don’t get me started on that!

Laser surgery is another option. My friend Michele had a procedure called laser scar revision surgery to break up adhesions after having two c-sections, and was very happy with the results.

Something else I found is Silicone Sheet’s for scar treatment and Kinesiotape tape which gently pulls the scar, separating it from underlying tissue, now there are a lot of these products out there along this line, which one is better than the other I don’t know. If anyone has used these products please share your results. These products used in combination with self massage sounds like a good plan to me.

From what I’ve read just using topical creams and gels are OK to use, but won’t break up the scar tissue underneath, and should not be used when doing scar massage. They create a slick surface and cause your fingers to slip back and forth over the scar and it is important to avoid sliding your fingers across the skin. Your fingers should move with the scar. You may want to apply vitamin E or a scar cream after doing the massage.

OK How To Do Scar Massage:

Scar tissue massage is not recommended during the first five to eight days after surgery, or if you have an infection, God forbid! The first week should be all about resting the abdominal area, and not overdoing anything, being careful to prevent movements that can comprise or pull on your scar. For the best success scar massage for c-sect should be performed within the first 14 weeks after surgery. But it is never too late to start the process.

Make sure the scar is not sensitive to the touch, to help desensitize the area place a warm washcloth over scar and lightly rub with fingertips for 1-2 minutes. Once you are able to touch the scar without sensitivity or pain you are ready to massage or use one of the taping products.

Scar massage is done very gently you don’t use a lot of pressure. First test to see if any area of the scar feels stuck to underlying tissue, place your thumb and index finger on opposite ends of the scar. Gently push your thumb and finger together. If your scar and skin make a rounded arch out away from your body, then outer layers of scar tissue are not adhered. If the scar looks more similar to an “M” with the center of the scar stuck and this forms an arch on either side, then you have scar tissue adhesions present. If you can’t lift the scar away from your body you may have areas of tissue adhesion or you could still be a little swollen from the surgery.

Next place your two index fingers perpendicular to each other and press gently as you push towards each other. You do this as you move along the scar.

Next place your fingers over the scar and gently move the scar in circles (clock-wise and counter clock-wise). Your fingers should not slide over the skin. This can help smooth out your scar. If one area feels more stuck than another, spend more time in the stuck area.

Next place your middle and index fingers perpendicular on the left side of the scar. Gently pull the scar up toward your head, and push it down toward to feet in a rhythmic manner. Hold ½ second or less in each direction. Move across the scar repeating the up and down motion, do not slide your fingers across the skin. Your fingers should move with the scar, again using very light pressure.

Next lightly grasp one end of the scar between your thumb and index finger. Gently lift scar away from body, separating it from the underlying tissue. Gently move your fingers side to side for 30 seconds. Move your fingers to the center of the scar, repeat technique and then move to the opposite end of the scar, and repeat.

If after two to four weeks of massaging your scar, you still feel areas that seem stuck then you might want to see a healthcare professional. For non-surgical treatment and more clinical information on scar tissue adhesions check out the www.clearpassage.com web site and read about the Wurn Technique®.

You owe it to yourself, your abdominal wall and your internal organs to add scar massage to your never ending list of things to do.

MaryLou