Did you end up having an emergency c-section? A planned c-section? If you are among the one third of women in Canada that give birth via c-section that feel lost on how to best recover post c-section you are not alone.
During a c-section, your surgeon cuts through 7 layers of tissue! It is no wonder that a lot of women post c-section birth experience pain and reduced movement along the incision site that affect daily activities such as walking or lifting your baby, increased feelings of trauma and stress, and internal adhesions that cause pain with periods and/or ovulation post c-section (yes the c-section scar can get stuck to your organs!). A lot of women are also surprised that they feel a pulling session or pain not just along the incision site, but also below or above it, as aforementioned there can be internal scar tissue that is not visible to the eye. There is also a portion of women after a c-section that will feel bladder urgency or pain with sex, as the pelvic floor (aka muscles down there) can tighten up as a protective response post c-section.
So what can you do about it? This is what you can do in the first 4 weeks after the c-section:
- Rest, rest, rest! Resting give your body time to heal the c-section scar
- Keep the c-section scar dry. Use stretchy sports tape (aka k-tape), and tape up any loose skin above the scar that can fold over the scar and cause moisture build up!
- Wear compression panties or an abdominal wrap
- Hug a pillow and lean forward if you need to cough or sneeze, as this will help reduce pain along the incision
- Get on and off the bed from your side, and use your arms to push up
- Avoid fast walking, you can re-open up your c-section scar if you create too much pulling or stretch along your scar
- Do some gentle belly breathing, as this helps to open up the pelvic floor muscles down there.
- Do not lift heavier than your baby
What to do week 4-6 post c-section
- Start adding in gentle mobility exercises – e.g. cat cow, gentle torso twists
- Start desensitizing the scar by gently touching around the scar with soft texture items (e.g. cotton, silk, makeup brush) and then moving to rougher texture items (e.g. towel)
This is what you can do after 6 weeks post c-section
It is recommended you see a pelvic floor physiotherapist trained in scar release at 6 weeks post c-section. They can assess your core for ab separation, your c-section scar, and also your pelvic floor, especially if you are experiencing any pain with sex or bladder urgency (going to the bathroom more than every 2 hours). It is a myth that just because you had a c-section birth that your pelvic floor muscles are not affected! You were still carrying the baby on your pelvic floor during pregnancy and also the birth itself, especially if it was an emergency c-section can cause the muscles down there to tighten up as a response to stress.
What does a session with a pelvic floor physiotherapist trained in c-section scar release look like?
- During the assessment, a thorough birth history will be taken. Then, the c-section scar then will be assessed visually and through touch to determine pain level & tenderness, mobility and flexibility, skin integrity, adhesion and thickness. Your core will also be assessed for ab separation status. If you are having pain with sex or bladder urgency symptoms, the pelvic floor physiotherapist might recommend you book in as well for a pelvic floor physiotherapy assessment, which requires an internal vaginal assessment of the muscles down there!
- During cesarean scar release therapy treatment, a tool called The Dolphin Microcurrent Point Stimulation (MPS) Device is used, which has been approved for use by the FDA and Health Canada. This unit applies a micro-current along the scar area, which helps speed up the healing process, improve sensation, and decrease pain and tightness along the scar. There is minimal pain during and after the session. Usually it takes an average of 4 sessions to completely treat the scar, with most women experiencing a >50% improvement in sensation and movement along the cesarean scar even after the first treatment!
- Other tools such as manual massage or cupping may also be used to release deeper internal scar tissue
Main Take Aways:
- During the assessment, a thorough birth history will be taken. Then, the c-section scar then will be assessed visually and through touch to determine pain level & tenderness, mobility and flexibility, skin integrity, adhesion and thickness. Your core will also be assessed for ab separation status. If you are having pain with sex or bladder urgency symptoms, the pelvic floor physiotherapist might recommend you book in as well for a pelvic floor physiotherapy assessment, which requires an internal vaginal assessment of the muscles down there!
- During cesarean scar release therapy treatment, a tool called The Dolphin Microcurrent Point Stimulation (MPS) Device is used, which has been approved for use by the FDA and Health Canada. This unit applies a micro-current along the scar area, which helps speed up the healing process, improve sensation, and decrease pain and tightness along the scar. There is minimal pain during and after the session. Usually it takes an average of 4 sessions to completely treat the scar, with most women experiencing a >50% improvement in sensation and movement along the cesarean scar even after the first treatment!
- Other tools such as manual massage or cupping may also be used to release deeper internal scar tissue
