Best scar treatment for C-section: As told by a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist
If you’ve had a cesarean section (C-section) and are wondering about the best scar treatment for your C-Section scar, then this blog is for you.
But before we dive in, I first want to clear something up.
I often hear people wonder if they even need pelvic floor therapy if they’ve had a C-section. So before I talk about scars, I want to first tell you a few reasons why I absolutely recommend that C-section mamas go to pelvic floor therapy to help with their postpartum recovery.
Why pelvic floor therapy is important after a C-Section
The first and most important reason is that a C-section is a major surgery! And most patients who have had any other type of surgery are prescribed physical therapy to help with their recovery.
Think about it. If someone has knee surgery, they are immediately sent for physical therapy, where they spend many months receiving treatment, initially focused on making sure the scar is healing well and swelling is going down, and then eventually focused on helping the patient walk, climb stairs, run, or jump without worrying about their knee.
But when a mother gives birth in the OR via an abdominal incision, oftentimes they’re just told to keep the scar clean and then sent on their merry way.
And women deserve better!
This is why I strongly believe that if it’s not automatically offered to you after a C-section, you should seek pelvic therapy on your own. That way, you can have professional guidance and support to help you recover well.
But if you want to get into the science of why C-section mamas need physical therapy, it’s because the abdominal muscles are integral to how we feel and function.
They help support our posture and they work together with the pelvic floor muscles to help us stay continent and otherwise comfortable in our pelvic region.
So when those muscles are compromised at the incision site, as they understandably are after they are surgically cut through, then they don’t function well, and this can result in symptoms such as low back pain or urinary leakage.
Pelvic floor therapy can help you properly rehab so that your scar heals well and so you get back to moving around without any problems.
Referrals and pelvic therapy for C-Section
You do not need a doctor’s referral for physical therapy in the state of North Carolina. You are absolutely allowed to just call a physical therapy clinic up and make an appointment.
If you're located near the Durham area, feel free to reach out to me. I offer pelvic therapy and love working with women who are postpartum, especially if you've had a C-Section and want some help with recovery.
You can book a free discovery call here.
What is the best treatment for C-section scars?
You may have heard of scar creams, silicone sheets, laser therapy, and more.
While these treatments can be helpful, my answer is that we have to get the scar moving!
What do I mean by that?
Well, scars typically feel tight and immobile. That’s expected when you are right out of surgery. But once a scar has fully healed (so usually after about the 8 week mark post-surgery), we want to start using techniques to help the scar loosen up, for lack of a better term.
Because if a scar is tight, it won’t let your abdominal muscles work as they should, and if your abdominal muscles don’t work as they should, then you may start to experience unpleasant symptoms, like I discussed above.
Here are some techniques I use as a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist to help a scar start moving better. (And as a quick disclaimer, you’ll definitely want to wait until you get the “all clear” from your doctor to start implementing these techniques.)
Massage (both in the general area and scar massage)
You can gently touch or massage your belly, first starting above and below the scar area but then once that feels comfortable, you can move onto massaging the scar itself.
The diagram below shows you a few potential motions you can use, but I honestly tell my patients just to do what feels good to them! (This shouldn’t be a very deep tissue massage.)
I recommend starting with a few minutes at a time, done frequently - you can do this daily, but if that feels overwhelming then just start with whenever you can and go from there.
Many of my patients have found this easy to include while they’re showering or when they’re just relaxing on the couch. In my clinic, we have plenty of time for me to do this for my patients, just as I might massage any other body part that’s hurting.
Image used with permission from Pelvic Guru, LLC.
Dry needling
Dry needling is a treatment that uses acupuncture-like needles to target specific muscles, or in this case, scar tissue.
Although having needles in a scar may seem unpleasant, the technique I use is quite gentle and most of my clients tell me they only feel a small pinch, if they feel the needles at all.
I have seen dry needling work wonders on a scar so if a patient is open to it, this is usually a treatment I’ll include for my C-section mamas and I love using it inside my office in Durham.
Hip flexor mobility
If the scar tissue is tight, then the surrounding muscles (which are the core muscles and the muscles at the front of the hip) will likely also be tight.
Working on opening up the hip flexors can really help the scar move better.
Here’s one of my favorite stretches for tight hips. Give it a try!
Next steps
There you have it. Three of my favorite techniques for C-section scars. And while you can’t dry needle yourself, hopefully you can start working on massage and hip mobility to begin the scar healing process.
If you’re local to Durham, NC or a surrounding area, I’d love to help guide you on your recovery from your C-section. I truly believe that moms are superheroes and that they deserve to feel good in their bodies!
If you have any questions about what pelvic floor therapy might look like for you, feel free to contact me here or book a complimentary discovery call here. I’d love to help.
Get started with pelvic therapy at my Durham office by booking a discovery call.
