Let’s get that scar moving!
C-sections are a big part of many postpartum journeys, yet women are often left with little knowledge of how to care for their body after surgery. Patients are given movement restrictions for 6 weeks and that is usually the only guidance. It is not uncommon to hear complaints of discomfort in their incision and the surrounding areas several months (or years) postpartum.
This is not normal!
A c-section incision is typically horizontal along the bikini line, but there are several layers of tissue cut in order to deliver the baby and placenta. After, the uterus, abdominal cavity and skin and surrounding tissue are sutured together. The important thing to note here is that there are several groups of tissues that are healing postpartum, not just the skin. It’s also important to note that a lot of the healing actually takes place above the scar and below the belly button.
As your body lays down tissue to repair, it is arranged in a disorganized matrix (think of the game “pick up sticks” as a kid). The good thing is this tissue can be molded and rearranged to be more aligned. You want your scar to have good mobility and avoid adhesion to the tissues around it. Enter scar and abdominal massage.
The benefits of mobilizing your scar:
Decreasing pain
Improving mobility
Decreasing pulling and tightness
Improving appearance (less puckering and shelf-like appearance)
Decreased hypersensitivity
Decreased numbness
This mini course includes four instructional videos: scar desensitization, abdominal massage, scar mobilization and cupping.
Abdominal and scar desensitization - can start immediately postpartum to the abdominals and after 6 weeks to the incision. Used to establish normal sensation in the abdominals and lightly over the scar.
Abdominal massage - can start around 3 weeks postpartum. Used to decrease abdominal pain and tightness, and improve trunk mobility. This can also help decrease pelvic floor symptoms like painful intercourse or urinary frequency issues.
Scar mobilization - can start around 6 weeks postpartum or whenever your scar is 100% healed. This helps improve mobility, decrease pain and pulling, and improve appearance.
Cupping to the abdominals and scar - can start around 12 weeks postpartum. Using a silicone cupping set, the tissues are mobilized by lifting and separating vs. compression. We do this to the scar and the lower abdominals to decrease pain and tightness. This also helps improve the shelf-like appearance.
Is it too late to start this?
It is never too late to start this. Generally, we aim to do this throughout the first year while the scar is still remodeling. This will yield the best results. You can still benefit >1 year postpartum, especially if you have pain and tightness. I’ve had women start massage >15-20 years postpartum and seen improvements.
How often do I need to do this?
Your routine should be about 5-10 minutes per day, at least 4x/week. If you can do it daily, great! You don’t have to each technique for 5-10 minutes (no mother has 40 minutes for self massage!) and that isn’t necessary.
Here are some examples:
If you are in the early stages (<6 weeks pp), your routine may look like: 2 minutes of abdominal desensitization and 4 minutes of abdominal massage.
If you are 4 months pp, it could look like: 5 minutes of scar mobilization (cupping and massage) followed by 5 minutes of abdominal massage. It will depend on your timeline and your personal needs.
My personal routine was usually after a shower at night. I kept oil and cups at my nightstand. First few minutes, I perform scar massage with no lotion, followed by massage to scar and abs with oil, then cupped for about 5 minutes to the scar and abdomen after.
What if it’s painful?
This should not be a painful experience! I generally tell people to provide a pressure that feels deep enough to be therapeutic but not painful. I’m okay with it feeling a little weird but shouldn’t leave you sore the next day. If you are sore, that is okay, just lighten up your pressure next time. As you do this over the course of a year, you will be able to tolerate more and more pressure.
Supplies Needed
Silicone Cupping Set: linked here on Amazon
Coconut oil or massage lotion
