C-section... What to do now?
Jul 04, 2021
One of the things I see a lot of when I am in the office are C-section scars. I personally have not had a C-section, but I work with people who have it all the time. In the United States, it is common and over 30 percent of births are C-sections. However, just because it is common, it does not take away from the fact that a C-section is a major abdominal surgery. I think that it should be treated more as such and people should understand that they need to heal from it.
In a C-section, they cut through a lot of layers and through some integral structures that are important to how your core functions and transmits force from the center out to the arms and legs.
C-sections can look a lot of different ways. It could be planned or emergent. Sometimes you can carry the trauma of an emergent c-section within your scar. This can make it very difficult to integrate your core or even begin to mobilize it until you address some of that underlying emotion.
How To Start With Mobilizing Your C-Section Scar
Once you are healed fully, you can start with some gentle mobilizations. If you come to the office, there are more invasive mobilizations through different techniques that we offer. As you are starting to mobilize that C-section scar, it’s better to start with gentle movements at home like stretches and desensitization of the area with a makeup brush.
How Your C-Section Scar Looks Does Not Determine What’s Going On Inside
I’ve seen so many people with C-section scars and none of them look the same. Some have puckering of the skin, keloids, or very minimal scarring. However, how the scar looks does not determine what is really happening. Sometimes, cutting through those tissues and a lack of connectivity to your core can result to having low back pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, and even leakage. A well healed (on the outside) scar does not equate to a fully healed internal scar. Women can still experience dysfunction in their core that could translate to instability.
How To Mobilize Your C-Section Scar
To start mobilizing your C-section scar, you can start with simple stretching so that the tissues can be stretched around it. From there, you can take it up a notch by taking a makeup brush or a soft-bristled brush so you can brush over the scar. This helps you gradually be able to touch the scar.
You can also use a Coregous ball (links to this product are on the website). I use this all the time and I love using it instead of jumping right into really intense movements. You do not want to beat the tissues up. You want it to be slow and gentle and not assault the brain by giving it pain signals. The Coregous ball is almost like a Pilates ball and you can make it as inflated or deflated as you wish. I would recommend starting with inflating the ball not even half full. I like the tackiness of the ball. It is great for gripping your skin and mobilizing the fascia.
Basically, you would lie down and put the ball where your scar is. Let the scar get used to the pressure and rotate around it as if you were giving yourself a rug burn.
These are the things that can help mobilize your C-section scar if you are not yet ready to touch your scar with your fingers.
Once you can already hold your C-section scar with your fingers, you have to feel where it is pulling the most. You can also do some skin rolling through grabbing where the scar is. From there, you can see how it is able to move.
How C-Section And Other Surgeries Affect How We Integrate Our Core
C-section and other abdominal surgeries, like having your gallbladder or appendix removed, can have a huge effect on how your brain perceives your core. Even if it’s just a tiny scar from a laparoscopic surgery, you can have a lot of internal scarring that leads to core dysfunction.
The way that these surgeries take place is by inflating the abdominal cavity. It could cause irritation to the diaphragm and there are more scars within the abdominal as they have to move around to access the area that needs worked on.
I also work with women who have had tummy tucks. This is a much more substantial scar because it’s usually from hip to hip.. You want to rehabilitate this scar and integrate your core again. You have to bring awareness from your brain back to such the abdomen. You can start with gentle self-massage or find a provider such as a chiropractor or a physical therapist who can help you mobilize this type of scar.
For these different scars, you can also use beauty products like a jade gua sha tool because it is a similar instrument that is currently used for the face, but it can also be used on your scars.
It’s Not Too Late
If you have a C-section scar or other types of scars in relation to procedures done to your tummy area, it’s never too late to start mobilizing and bringing feeling back to it. I’ve worked on scars that were 30+ years old. Years do not matter. You can always make progress.
Conclusion
I want you to know that no matter what point of the healing game you are in, you need to address your abdominal scars. Anyone who has had abdominal surgery needs to make a concerted effort to get your core functioning as efficiently as possible again.
All the things you are feeling, such as neck pain and back pain, can be responses due to your unstable core. You need to address this so you can get lasting changes from your other pains.
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