Tummy muscles after a c-section: 5 Must-know Facts
Between 30-50% of first-time mums will have a c-section in Ireland. As a society, we almost forget that it’s major abdominal surgery because c-sections are so commonplace now.!
While most often the stomach muscles aren’t cut during a c-section, they have been pulled apart for entry into the uterus. The amount of strain on the muscles depends on how big your baby was, your babies position, and the presence of adhesions from previous surgeries.
C-sections can lead to numbness, a build-up of scar tissue, and even a higher risk of diastasis recti. All of this is on top of the fact that your muscles and ligaments were just stretched to capacity during pregnancy.
This leads many to believe that it’s impossible to regain your core strength after a c-section. Not true!
It may take a little more time and a little more effort, but it is certainly possible. First things first, whether you had your c-section two months ago or two years ago, you need to regain connection to the deep core muscles. If you’re still experiencing numbness, it will be a little more difficult, but still possible.
Here are 5 things you need to know about connecting to your core muscles after a c-section birth.
1. Scar Tissue Might Make Things Feel Painful or Strange
If you have had a C Section, there will be scar tissue. This is where the connective tissue is laying down and binding, to repair and heal. The process can result in tightness or a pulling sensation around your scar or in your tummy.
Layers of tissue are cut and then sewn back together during a c-section, which creates scarring through multiple levels of tissue of your abdominal wall.
This scarring affects the muscles’ ability to glide over the top of each other during muscle contraction. The result is weakness and inhibition of the abdominal muscles.
This can slow blood supply and oxygen to the area resulting in numbness.
Adhesions and scar tissue that build up because of a C-section can:
· Give you back or pelvic pain
· Make sex uncomfortable or painful
· Cause or contribute to incontinence.
· Even make your tissues go numb so it’s harder for you to feel your ab muscles working during exercise.
· Stitch-like pain on walking.
· Lower abdominal pain on coughing or walking.
· The c-section “pooch” (overhang).
Scar tissue is no joke and it can easily build up after going through surgery. Especially if you’ve had multiple caesarean surgeries.
This is why I recommend that every woman I know who’s had a C-section – even if it was years ago – go see a women’s health physiotherapist.
2. Muscle inhibition
When an injury occurs to the body, such as surgery, the surrounding muscles are affected. They cannot contract well around an area that is likely inflamed, and this leads to the muscles ‘switching off’ and other muscles having to take more of the load. Think about your lower back, hip muscles and upper abdominals.
So essentially it is the muscle not able to do their job in the early recovery phase. This is all very normal but for some women, the muscles forget to switch back on after the initial recovery phase.
Doing some simple activation exercises alongside a tailored strength programme, set by a physiotherapist, can help reduce the likeliness of any issues in the future.
3. Pelvic floor Exercises after a C-section Can Help?
Yes, I know you probably think that there is no need for pelvic floor exercises after a c-section, but the lower abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor are closely linked so when you train your pelvic floor exercises it can help wake up your lower tummy muscles.
As we previously mentioned the lower tummy muscles can be inhibited or “switched off” after a c-section. Using your pelvic floor to help you connect to your deeper lower tummy muscles can really help recovery. I see many women who use the upper tummy muscles to compensate for weakness in the lower tummy muscles. This is not a great strategy because you will ultimately end up making your lower tummy muscles protrude more by working your upper tummy muscles too much.
We start by connecting your pelvic floor and lower tummy muscles.
Another point to remember is that you still went through a pregnancy. And that’s still an incredibly challenging thing for your pelvic floor to go through. You will likely have stretch weakness of the pelvic floor so starting with your pelvic floor exercises is a great way to start your postnatal rehab.
4. Gradually build up
There are plenty of lists out there of exercises you shouldn’t do in the early weeks (and maybe even months) after a C-section.
They say you shouldn’t do things like:
· Running, jumping, burpee-ing
· Crunches, sit-ups, planks, v-sits, and other ab-focused exercises
· Heavy lifting or intense strength training
· Anything that puts a lot of pressure on your abdominal wall or pelvic floor (like heavy overhead presses or heavy barbell squats)
And these suggestions are all true. There are certain exercises – like these – that I wouldn’t recommend my clients do until we’ve done some groundwork to help rehab and strengthen their bodies first.
Healing takes time and the right strategies and approaches to feel and function well again. This does not mean that you cannot do any exercise before 12 weeks post-c-section. You can gradually build up your exercise demands.
The strategies you use in the early weeks and months postnatal can help ensure your body heals well and can actually help you recover faster.
Our Postnatal Pilates programme consists of 4 levels of classes so you can set your foundation from 4-6 week postnatal with our level 1 classes and gradually build yourself back up as you progress through the levels.
5. You have to think whole body
The core is a group of muscles that work synergistically. It’s not all about the belly. A complete program may also need to include the glutes and back muscles for optimal functioning.
I meet so many women who want to solely focus on their tummy muscles. It is not possible to just focus on one area in the body without training the rest along with it. If you stand up straight your tummy muscles will appear flatter, therefore if you strengthen your back muscles and your glutes it will affect how your tummy looks.
Choose whole-body exercises to help your recovery and try avoid just concentrating on one part alone.
Going through a C-section is not easy. The recovery doesn’t happen overnight.
But you absolutely can get back into the exercises you want to do – feeling great.