Many people are successfully treated by surgery, which improves their quality of life. However, even the most successful operations can leave painful scarring, adhesions, and general discomfort. Sometimes these factors resolve very quickly, but on occasions people can be left in considerable discomfort and pain for years. Repeated surgery is often not an option, and in some cases can only make the scarring worse. Osteopathy, using gentle soft tissue techniques, helping to improve the movement of the organs and muscles of the abdominal and pelvic regions can often release some of the tension associated with post-operative scarring, thus reducing symptoms.

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Osteopathy is not like surgery, which cuts away the scar tissue and separates adhesions. Adhesions come in several 'grades'; some are like Velcro, and so can slightly pull apart without further trauma, others are increasingly tough, and at their most severe are very thick and dense pieces of real living tissue complete with their own blood vessels and nerves. Hence these cannot be 'massaged away'. Instead the aim is to reduce their stiffness and contracture, trying to get them to 'pull less hard' on adjacent tissues and organs; to get these other organs and tissues to relax as much as possible / to be more elastic, so they are not as twisted by the adhesion as before. This usually means that the adhesion is better compensated for, organ function is improved, and fluid drainage is increased. This often means some overall reduction in symptoms although everyone responds differently. In some a few treatments works wonders, in others the progress is much slower or only short term. However, most people get some change after a few treatments. Maintenance may be required. Please discuss with your osteopath.

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Treatment is aimed at improving movement and flexibility in the scars and surrounding tissues, and to help all other tissues and surrounding organs and muscles movement more 'normally' therefore accommodating the scar more readily, and thus becoming more comfortable and less painful over time. Osteopaths try to get the whole body and the local tissues to accommodate the scarring and inflammation more efficiently, thus reducing pain and suffering.

The gentle massaging style techniques are applied so as to minimise discomfort. Patients often find that treatment takes 2-3 sessions to begin to alter the pain / symptom pattern, and after 4-6 treatments patients often notice improvement in their overall problem and lifestyle. Some patients require more 'maintenance treatment' than others, and this can be discussed in detail during the treatment sessions. Everyone requires a slightly different type of management, and there is no 'set number of treatments per condition'.

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