Abdominal Adhesions: National Massage Therapy Awareness Week

It’s National Massage Therapy Awareness Week and we thought we’d take a moment to share that massage for fertility, women’s health, dysmenorrhea and other “female issues” is more than simply a spa day or pampering.  What are abdominal adhesions?  Abdominal adhesions are fibrous bands that span two or more abdominal organs and/or the inner abdominal wall.  They can be a result of abdominal surgery (e.g. Cesarean delivery) as well as inflammatory processes (endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, diverticulitis, etc.).  Adhesions can be asymptomatic but can also be related to a range of symptoms including cramping, bowel movement irregularity including constipation/diarrhea due to the overgrowth of intestinal bacteria, and infertility. 

How do you know if you have abdominal adhesions?  Adhesions are not readily visible with common imaging methods and there is not a “lab test” to screen for them but if you’ve had a C-section or other abdominal surgery, have endometriosis or have a history of STDs it’s possible you have adhesions.   Currently, treatment for abdominal adhesions includes laparoscopic surgery for extreme/acute cases where organ obstruction is present as well as pharmacological intervention (treating pain, using fiber/stool softeners). 

Encouragingly, a 2019 review of clinical studies entitled Effect of soft tissue mobilization techniques on adhesion-related pain and function in the abdomen:  A systematic review found “strong evidence for the benefits of STM on symptoms relating to acute post-surgical adhesions, preliminary moderate evidence for the benefits of STM on symptoms relating to chronic non-surgical related adhesions (fertility and SBO*) and moderate evidence for the benefits of STM on symptoms relating to chronic post-surgical adhesions.”

The bottom line:  At Pulling Down the Moon we recommend fertility massage as part of any holistic treatment plan.  Massage reduces perceived stress, lowers circulating stress hormones, increases blood and oxygen flow to the reproductive organs.  Specific massage sessions, including Mercier Therapy™ and the Cleanse the Body, Enhance the Blood and Open the Breath sessions of the FEM Protocol™ include Soft Tissue Mobilization of the pelvic organs. 

Stay tuned for more about How Massage Increases Blood Flow.  Read more about Abdominal Adhesions here. 

*Small Bowel Obstruction