Every day, roughly 10,000 babies are born in the US, and approximately a third are being delivered via Cesarean section. This number has continued to increase over time for various reasons – be it medically necessity or personal choice. A c-section is a major surgery that requires a very deep incision that takes 6-8 weeks to heal on average and sometimes longer.
Also – because the incision goes through many layers of soft tissue in the abdomen, the scar from a C-section can influence and pull connective tissue all through the body, causing pain to show up over the next 6 months and onward. This tissue is connected to other parts of the body and can lead to pain in the following regions if not treated properly:
- Low back and the hips, causing tightness and alignment issues
- The diaphragm, which affects breathing
- The shoulders, which can create tension and pulls in the upper and middle back
Unfortunately many new moms don’t make the link since the pain doesn’t start until months after her surgery. That’s because it takes time for the new scar tissue to form and pull other organs, tissue and muscles out of place.
In addition to manipulative therapy, there is a simple castor oil treatment you can do once the scar is fully healed that can help release the attachments as deep as the incision, all the way to the uterus and soften and ease the scar’s tissue pull overall. Just apply castor oil to the scar and cover it with a wool cloth. Then place a heating pad or hot water bottle on it for 35-45 minutes every day for 21 days. You should expect to see a big difference in the scar! And the good news is that this works for new and even very old scars.