Massage & Bodywork

JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2021

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54 m a s s a g e & b o d y wo r k j a n u a r y/ fe b r u a r y 2 0 2 1 Often the surgical incision gets torn or overstretched at one end in the process of extracting the baby, and this often presents as a larger nubbin at one end of the scar. The last few stitches from the incision can also present as an extra hard spot at one end of the scar's surface. Explore how deeply the scar penetrates. The surface scar is in the skin, fat, and abdominal fascia. The cut through the muscle wall and peritoneum is likely down the center line of the linea alba, so check whether this has involved that area in extra adhesions. If your palpatory skills are good, you can perhaps feel the fundus of the uterus behind the muscle wall, which will also inevitably have scar tissue from the incision. The uterine wall, however, is so strong and good at healing that many women can have a subsequent child vaginally (VBAC—vaginal birth after cesarean) if they so choose. Once you have gently and carefully taken the scar's measure, compress it between your fingertips and the upper surface of the pubic bone. The object here is not to smush it out of existence, but to "comb" or brush out the scar's tangled fibers. The collagen fibers around scars are like the wool in felt—they are stuck willy-nilly in all different directions. The native fascia in your abdominal wall is very directional, so your Many women have unconsciously pulled in around their C-section scar, so the restoration of movement there can be a revelation— and some help when dealing with any other problems in the abdomen or pelvic floor. idea as you contact the scar is to brush it out as you would your child's hair. As with a child's hair, the idea is to untangle it a little at a time. Go for one big stroke and you will get tears. Gentle combing and brushing around the edges of the scar are what is called for. Any kind of biting pain is a contraindication— something else besides scarring is going on. Perhaps a nerve is trapped in the scar, or the scar is adhered to an organ. However, some level of sensation or soreness when you are working and after is par for the course, as there are almost certainly nociceptic cytokines trapped in that scar. ANI DIMI/STOCKSY

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