Back pain after C Section is a highly prevalent postpartum ailment.
A year ago, a patient that has underwent an emergency C section entered my clinic. Her baby (who’s apparently a future athlete) changed from head to breech position a day before delivery.
And again, I realized that… while many women expect there to be tears and scars due to childbirth, little information is available on how those scars will affect them months or even years after childbirth. Many don’t even realize that their back, hip, pelvic floor, and other sores and pains are all related.
C-section scars can heal on their own with minimal short-term effect, but they can still be quite bothersome, causing low back, pelvic, and hip pain.
Oftentimes, addressing the scar shouldn’t be done by the patient herself. We have to treat the damaged area manually in order to break the scar tissue adhesions which affect our movement in due to pulling on tightened skin or underlying muscles.
The age of the scar does not affect its release, but immature scars, where the tissue is more dynamic, are more likely to release. Activating remodelling and healing processes (like this one) may be easier in earlier stages.
As a physiotherapist I treat my patient with Manual and myofascial release techniques to the scar itself and to the abdominal tissue surrounding the scar.
I also Dry Needle along the scar – which is nicknamed “surrounding the dragon”. I rotate the needles in order to increases tension, resulting in the change of shape and breakdown of the scar tissue.
Rozenfeld et al in 2020 wrote about DN for scar treatment and found out that there is preliminary evidence that this needling technique is a beneficial treatment for patients suffering from scar pain and other scar-related symptoms and can facilitate wound healing and make the process less painful.
Dry Needling is an add-on treatment, used alongside other techniques, and can significantly augment the overall outcome. It is without a doubt quite beneficial and worth mastering for scar healing and related pain reduction.