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Pelvic Adhesion

Pelvic pain and pelvic adhesions are often closely related

Pelvic adhesions have been implicated as causing infertility and chronic abdominopelvic pain. Data suggests that 67% to 93% of patients will develop pelvic adhesions following open pelvic surgery.

Pelvic adhesions can form after any trauma, as an inflammatory response to tissue damage. As the body begins to heal from the trauma, pelvic adhesions form to contain the injured area. These pelvic adhesions shrink the injured tissues and restrict movement throughout the injured area. This shrinking can create more mechanical irritation, perpetuating the cycle of pelvic adhesion formation. Pelvic adhesions tend to persist long after the original trauma has healed, attaching to organs, nerves, muscles and neighboring structures. Pelvic adhesions usually form following surgery, inflammation, trauma or radiation therapy treatment.

Many people experience decreased function or increased tissue tension following injury, surgery, or infection. Like scars that form on the skin, pelvic adhesions create “internal scars.” These may become painful or inhibit proper function by adhering tissues and organs that are designed to move freely. When pelvic adhesions form, intercourse pain and other pelvic, abdominal, low back, hip or tailbone pain may result. When pelvic adhesions occur around the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, or the delicate fimbriae of the uterine tubes, infertility may result.

Surgeries are a major cause of pelvic adhesions and scarring. Some surgeries that may cause pelvic adhesions or scars to form in and around organs include:

Pelvic Adhesions

Endometriosis (left) and pelvic adhesions (right)
can form inside and outside the uterus

Inflammation or infections often cause pelvic adhesions. Some of the non-surgical causes of pelvic adhesions are:

Adhesion-causing traumas include falls, accidents, or physical or sexual abuse. Radiation therapy can cause extensive pelvic adhesions to form at or near the sites of cancer treatment. Inflammation following trauma or radiation therapy may cause pelvic adhesions to spread to neighboring organs unless they are removed or diminished by a surgeon, or a therapist trained to treat them. Symptoms sometimes appear far from the site of the original trauma.

We have helped many people who suffer from pelvic adhesions and pain. Our directors spent years studying techniques and developing protocols to restore patients' bodies to a state of balance, harmony, and increased function. Our treatment sessions are individualized and last approximately one hour based on individual needs. Treatment is one-on-one, and is in private treatment rooms. From your first visit, we use a "hands-on" approach to treat your symptoms. For more detailed information on treatment, visit our “ what treatment is like ” webpage.