The fascial system is just beginning to be understood medically. It has its own nerve supply and vascular system. It controls movement in conjunction with the muscles which when well toned help us stand, move and function. All animals have a version of this system that works as an exoskeleton which develops from conception through the rest of our lives. What is less understood is the core muscles, and the fascia and how it integrates into how we move and function. The core is actually a conduit of forces from the ground up through the fascial system. What happens when we cut into the abdomen and during post surgical healing? The most common surgery in the abdomen includes a C-section, a hernia repair and a scar from appendix removal, although other abnormal surgeries can leave scars as well. What is often ignored is what happens in the mesentery underneath the scar. Doctors over the years have realized that cutting into the abdomen can have consequences and, as a result, have modified their procedures to be less invasive. While a post surgical checkup is routine, the lack of training in understanding active scars is causing a lifetime of pain for many people months and years later. There is no less invasive way to perform a C-section, which is an emergency procedure designed to reduce risk during childbirth during a problematic delivery. I remember when my son was born, the hospital would have a steak dinner for the new parents who may have spent a day or two recovering in a hospital room. All the women who experienced C-sections were leaning forward, trying to avoid the pain while walking after the procedure. It is normal to have tightness after the surgery due to the stitches and the pain, which is why doctors have learned to make sure you walk and move. Underneath the scar, you may be developing a condition called an Active Scar, which is a scar that has attached to other tissues in the mesentery. During your first six weeks, a simple screening can be performed to help you prevent the further development of the scar underneath the scar that is visible, which can result in a lifetime of pain in the back, the knees, the neck, the shoulder’s and even the feet. Our office has diagnosed and successfully treated thousands of these cases that had already been through months and years of physical therapy, improper diagnosis of fibromyalgia, surgeries, and more without long-term results. Diagnosing the scar takes a minute asking the right questions and performing a quick screen to determine if the scar is affecting how you move and function. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent a lifetime of pain from an active scar; here’s why. About 10 years ago, I developed a screen that required less than a minute to perform, which can help determine whether an active scar is developing. I wrote a while paper and visited a few obstetricians to raise awareness of these scars, which had a growing mountain of evidence by the International Fascial Congress that met once every two years. There are other medical sources now publishing papers on the phenomenon. Doctors were given the white paper and some engaged me directly and asked me questions, while others either had me speak with their staff or had no interest in the idea. Years of trial and error have helped me help others by relieving the malfunctions caused by the scars while teaching patients how to desensitize them so the patient can again wear jeans and other clothing that may have hurt at the scar previously. As a chiropractor specializing in myofascial release treatment, I have learned that movement problems cause back, neck, shoulder and even hip and foot pain. Many of the symptoms patients experience over the years have been attended to by other providers, yet, when one problem seemed to improve, now another developed and then another. Years of specialists visits but no understanding of why you hurt have left patients with chronic pain, diagnosis of fibromyalgia or polymyalgia by providers who could not explain to the patient why they hurt, yet they all had a pill, an injection, a therapy which may have alleviated a symptom but years later resulted in chronic problems resulting in more interventions due to damaged knee, hip and spinal joints. Better choices while we are younger can avoid many of these problems. Active scars affect how you move and feel. A proper diagnosis by a chiropractor who holistically understands how the body integrates and moves during your history and exam can help you get the relief you deserve. This is why I always tell my patients that I will be as thorough as possible so I can help you become free of me. Chiropractic care is the simplest path to less pain and improved function. Chiropractors are trained to look at the whole person, rather than just where you hurt. As a chiropractic sports physician, I also understand how you walk, function and feel against gravity. Requiring a specialist for everything is a myth that feeds the medical model of healthcare. This model drives costs, tests and is inefficient and can cause great harm as we function poorly mechanically for months or years. Generalists can be far more effective and cost effective for musculoskeletal problems, yet the incentives are for more tests, drugs and interventions in the medical model. We have all experienced it but too often, the patient visits the chiropractor with a chronic problem that could have been resolved easily, and efficiently had the chiropractor been seen first. The overuse of MRI exams is rampant and is simply bad medicine. Nothing beats a thorough history and exam by a chiropractor who as we do, practice primary care for the musculoskeletal system. Some patients have not visited because of sensational videos on tic tock or other platforms but when they visit, they realize how thorough we actually are. These videos cheapen the profession although they may help build the business of the few doctors who perform them, while scaring others from the care they may need and be helped by. Chiropractic is not about cracking a back; it is about using methods such as myofascial release, exercise, active evaluation and manipulation to improve how you move and function. If there is an active scar, we ask and evaluate that possibility on the initial visit. Our goal is to properly evaluate you and help you as early as your first visit. Chiropractors help. Wondering if your c-section scar from months or years later is what makes you hurt? Call today or book online. We are public servants and are here to help.