Abdominal massage has a ton of benefits post c-section. Addressing tightness in this area helps with:

• Decreasing pain

• Improving trunk range of motion

• Decreasing pulling during exercise

• Improve abdominal muscle function

• Decreasing risk of pelvic floor pain/tightness with intimacy

• Decreasing risk of urinary frequency issues

You can begin abdominal massage In the early stages of recovery (this could be before 6 weeks or after). You can start with a layer of clothing in between, if you need time to get comfortable touching this area. If you do feel comfortable, go ahead and start directly on the skin with a little lotion. It is recommended to start away from the scar. Begin with gentle pressure, massaging the upper abdominals, and work your way down the middle and lower abs. The video shows vertical and horizontal strokes, circles in clockwise and counterclockwise. You can very gradually increase pressure over the course of weeks to months.

As you get down to the lower abdominals, things will likely be a bit more tight, restricted and tender. Over time, this should improve with massage. The area along the midline between the belly button and incision is commonly the most tender spot. It is also common to feel more tenderness and tightness on one side vs. the other. Use this as feedback and focus more of your time on these areas.

This should not be a painful experience. You should only use a pressure that feels therapeutic, not uncomfortable. If you bruise or feel sore the next day, lighten your pressure a bit.

Spend 5-10 minutes per day, or at least 4x/week doing abdominal (and eventually scar) massage. I recommend starting on your back, but you can progress to other positions like sidelying, sitting, or standing as tolerated. These other positions can be handy in accessing other areas of tightness that don’t show up in the supine position.

You can also massage in any position that feels tight/restricted. For example, some clients report pulling and tightness in a lunge position. I’ll recommend massage in a kneeling position to mimic the lunge and improve that mobility.