Scar Massage After C-Section: Bet You Didn’t 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
cavityYikes!

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 greathow 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 the 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