Abdominal scars from surgeries, the most common being a C-section and hernia repairs can result in problems years later if not properly monitored by the 6th week of healing. While you may not have heard this from your doctor who performed the procedure, the growing awareness of active scars affecting movement and function can lead to back, neck, hip, and even shoulder problems years later. The many studies now cited at the International Fascial Congress, which meets every two years, report growing evidence of a problem hidden in plain sight. Since these scars often look harmless on the outside, they can cause chronic musculoskeletal problems if not addressed early. Most active scars are preventable with early intervention. I developed a screen and wrote a white paper on this phenomenon several years ago. Some obstetricians found the concept interesting but failed to act on it after I showed them the simple screens that took less than a minute. After initial healing, abdominal scars can be palpated (felt by hand). If treated around the 6th week post-surgery, they can be eliminated early on. Early intervention can avoid years of problems such as neck pain, knee pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, and even headaches and vertigo. Myofascial release over a few short visits interrupts active scar development. Once a scar sets, people may not realize the scar is responsible for their back, knee, shoulder, and neck issues. Often, in our healthcare system, the patient will endure many therapies to the painful areas when the actual cause is the scar. It is not uncommon to have an active scar affecting how your shoulder moves causing chronic pain, stiffness and impingement affecting movement, range of motion, and sleep. Early clues of active scar development may be lower back pain resulting from bending over a changing table or simply reaching for something in the kitchen. These scars develop slowly and those who have had infections at the scar are more likely to have more problems. Recent examples of success treating active scars. A recent patient in her early 80s was unable to fully straighten, was having problems in her arms, right shoulder, and hands, and her knees were flexed aggravating the problem. She had improved markedly using chiropractic methods such as manipulation and myofascial release, however, releasing the scar markedly reduced her neck and back pain and improved her ability to stand for long periods of time. Another patient years ago in her 70s came in with a stiff neck and eventually, releasing the scar improved her neck mobility and reduced the pain. This was years before the development of active scar screens. Detecting and eliminating active scars early is the best option Since most doctors offer little advice to their patients regarding how to work on themselves other than movement and gentle stretching of the outer scar tissue, the slow-developing scar underneath the surface of the incision can cause problems months or sometimes years later. Patients often have to advocate for themselves to figure this out. Often, their doctors, therapists, and even their chiropractor may not understand that these scars may underlie many of the physical problems you experience after the surgery months or sometimes years later. The best solution is to screen for active scars in the sixth week after the surgery. Ideally, the doctor should do this during a post-op checkup. A while back, I visited nine obstetricians and gave them my white paper, which showed how to screen the patient in under a minute and who to send them to for treatment of the scar. While there was varying interest, none of those doctors referred any patients. Later I worked on a version for an obstetrical journal to teach obstetricians the screening methods and rationale for proper post-surgical followup. While this paper was not published, you can read it below PostpartumneckandbackpainafterCsectionob journal versionDownload We can help. If you have had a c-section or other abdominal surgery and wish to be checked, we can perform this during our history and chiropractic evaluation. We help many patients with neck, back, knee, hip, and other musculoskeletal problems who have had abdominal surgery improve their function using myofascial release. Often, long-standing problems improve or resolve in a short period. Book online today.