Abdominal Adhesions

Abdominal Adhesions

Abdominal scar tissue from injury and surgery is a common cause of low back and pelvic pain, sciatica, stiffness and dysfunction.  Specialized manual therapy techniques called Visceral Function Manipulation can successfully treat scar tissue, restore movement and eliminate pain.

An adhesion is a tough band of scar tissue that binds parts of two tissues or organs together.  Normally, the surfaces of organs, muscles, and nerves do not stick together and are able to slide and glide along each other as you move your body.  Adhesions appear as sheets of tissue similar to plastic wrap or as thick fibrous bands. Abdominal adhesions occur in over 90% of people who undergo surgery as well as a percentage of people who have never had surgery.

They develop as the body tries to heal after injury such as trauma, surgery, radiation, or inflammatory processes caused by medical conditions, illnesses, and food sensitivities.

Abdominal and pelvic adhesions can involve any organ or tissue in or around the abdomen or pelvis and can include the  large and small intestine, uterus/ovaries or prostate, and bladder as well as the nerves that travel through the abdomen. The spine and pelvis as well as the muscles trunk and hip muscles can also become adhered to abdominal organs.

Adhesions can slowly tighten and twist over time causing problems with bowel and bladder function and can even affect fertility in women.  They can also be detrimental to the mobility and function of the low back, pelvis and hips.  Tightness and restriction can prevent smooth normal lumbar spine and pelvic joint movement and can change a persons lumbar posture (think deep lumbar curve/sway back) and lead to painfully increased pressure in back and hip joints and muscles.

The nerves of the low back, pelvis, hips, and legs run in front of the lumbar spine in the abdomen and right past the abdominal organs before they exit into the legs.  Adhesions of nerves can severely limit hip and leg movement and lead to repetitive irritation of nerves leading to sciatica and nerve pain in the legs.

Medical treatment for abdominal adhesions involves surgery to cut them out.  Interestingly, as surgery has an over 90% probability to cause adhesions.  The surgery to remove adhesions them will almost certainly directly lead to the formation of new ones.

Physical therapy treatment for adhesions involves specialized manual (hands on) therapy techniques to stretch, loosen, and free tight tissue in the abdomen.  These techniques are conducted by the therapist using his or her hands to feel restrictions through the abdomen and using gentle tractioning movements to free them.  Often, the therapist will hold a structure or organ still while the patient is instructed to repetitively move their back or body in specific patterns to free adhered structures. 

Physical therapy treatment is gentle, non invasive and performed on an outpatient basis.

This content is a good example of treatment similar to what you will find at Atlas Physical Therapy.

Specialized visceral techniques can:

• Loosen adhesions
• Relievie pain and stiffness in the back, hips, and legs
• Restore lumbar and pelvic joint mobility
• Relieve nerve pain (such as sciatica)
• Significantly reduce (and in some cases completely eliminate) menstrual cramps
• Restore posture
• Improve mechanical efficiency and physical performance (such as for sports or physical tasks)

Manual therapy to loosen adhesions is part of a larger treatment plan including self stretching and exercises to further free up and maintain pain free movement.