If you have gone through abdominal surgery, you are at risk of developing abdominal adhesions, which can be a matter of concern.
However, they are not common, but they can cause pain and discomfort once they occur, disrupting common body functions. However, the good thing is that there are several non-surgical methods to treat and dissolve the symptoms of adhesions.
So, for the people who are Googling how to dissolve adhesions without surgery, here we are to help provide you with some non-surgical methods to dissolve adhesions. But first, let's understand what adhesions actually are.
Continue reading!
What Are Adhesions?
Abdominal adhesions are bands of scar tissue that form between abdominal tissue and organs or between two structures that bind them together.
They are a common response when the body starts to repair after surgery, injury, trauma, or other conditions that usually do not require treatment and dissolve on their own.
Symptoms of Adhesions
Some adhesions can cause pain, but not all. They can occur anywhere in the body. The most common locations are within the abdominal cavity, heart, and pelvis.
Here are some common symptoms:
- Liver adhesions can cause deep breathing or pain.
- Vagina adhesions can cause pain during intercourse.
- Pericardial adhesions can cause chest pain.
- Intestinal adhesions can cause bowel obstruction and an inability to pass gas.
Other Symptoms may include:
- Chronic bloating.
- Abdominal cramping and abnormal bowel sounds.
- Constipation or loose motions.
- Nausea.
- Piles.
- Painful excretion during menstruation.
How To Dissolve Adhesions Without Surgery?
After gaining basic knowledge about adhesions, let's discover some methods to dissolve adhesions without surgery because they usually do not need surgical treatments.
These natural methods will help to reduce the scar tissue and discomfort or pain they cause.
Massage and Physical Therapy.
You can try different types of massage to reduce scar tissue, such as sports, deep tissue, or remedial. Physical therapy, including taping or stretching, will greatly help you decrease tissue adhesions from injury.
Let's discuss how these massages will restore normal functional mobility:
- Sports Massage: They focus on targeted areas containing soft tissue to decrease muscle pain and improve mobility by applying pressure. The pressure raises the temperature, which helps the scar to loosen, thus decreasing scar tissue and pain and increasing relaxation.
- Deep Tissue Massage: These massages target the inner layers of muscles to break down the scar tissue. They apply firm and deeper pressure to reduce adhesions and collagen fibers and repair tired and strained muscles, reducing pain and discomfort.
- Remedial Massage: This hand therapy treats damaged, knotted, tense, or immobile muscles to repair damaged body areas. Depending on the type of injury, the pressure can be deep, soft, and shallow.
There are also wide techniques to dissolve adhesions, such as acupressure, frictions, and trigger pointing, which aim to increase the blood flow to repair damaged tissues.
Nutrition and Dietary Changes
After surgery, your doctor may prescribe that you change your diet and lifestyle to prevent scars called adhesions.
Some foods, such as turmeric, ginger, bromelain, and vitamin C, are best for recovering from injury and healing scar tissue. They help to heal tissues.
So let's check what diet changes you can do to dissolve your adhesions:
i). Protein:
The human body requires protein not only to build muscles, skin, and other body tissues but also to help repair them. So, to dissolve adhesions, proteins such as bradykinin work as an inflammatory, remodeling the blood vessels and increasing blood flow.
They allow the removal of injured tissues from collagen fibers, just eliminating scar tissue. To get a lot of protein, include eggs, cottage cheese, chicken breast, etc. They will help your body to fight infection and repair your tissue.
ii). Vitamin A:
Another thing you can include in your diet is vitamin A. You can find this in foods like carrots, squash, kale, eggs, red peppers, and sweet potatoes.
Vitamin A is believed to heal wounds, strengthen immune functions, and stimulate collagen and epithelial development to dissolve adhesions.
iii). Vitamin C:
Vitamin C contains ascorbic acid and is believed to be one of the best ways to dissolve adhesions. It greatly supports collagen production, resulting in healthy tissue.
Vitamin C can be consumed from citrus fruits like lemons, kiwis, broccoli, peppers, papaya, and dark leafy vegetables.
iv). Vitamin E:
Another vitamin to include in your diet is vitamin E. They are believed to be anti-inflammatories that prevent scar tissue formation.
It is available in various foods such as sunflower seeds, peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, salmon, vegetable oils, and avocado to dissolve adhesions.
These sources work as lipophilic antioxidants, preventing lipid peroxidation and resulting in biological membrane stability.
Some principles to follow for a healthy diet:
- Eat a low-allergen diet.
- Eat an appropriate amount of prebiotics and FODMAPs.
- Eat food that contains carbohydrates and regulates blood sugar.
- Eat fresh, whole, and unprocessed foods.
We recommend following a low FODMAP or Paleo diet for a few weeks to dissolve adhesions. Also, avoid fatty foods, processed foods, or processed sugars to make the dissolving process faster.
Lifestyle Changes
Another natural method to dissolve adhesions is to make some lifestyle changes. Adopting some lifestyle changes is important to prevent the further development of scar tissue. Follow some approaches that include:
- Don't Smoke: Smoking can disturb the normal inflammatory physiology because the nicotine prevents the blood flow to the incision. Hence, it makes the healing process difficult.
- Get Enough Sleep: To heal from anything, it is important to get proper rest. Maintain a habit of getting enough sleep to give your body time to repair and recover. Sleeping promotes collagen formation and reduces inflammation.
- Be Conscious About Diet: Diet is important for repairing your body. Getting proper protein, vitamins, and minerals is important to speed up the process of dissolving adhesions.
- Limit Sun Exposure: It is important to protect yourself from sunlight and harmful UV rays to prevent the development of adhesions.
- Bathing: The next thing to put in your lifestyle changes is to stop taking soap baths until your adhesions have healed.
Other Simple Lifestyle Changes:
- Avoid alcohol and other toxins.
- Spend some time in nature.
- Exercise daily, at least walking daily.
- Mitigating stress and/or practicing yoga.
Exercise and Movement
The next one of the best ways to dissolve adhesions without surgery is to exercise daily. One of the easiest ways is to walk daily, which is safe and effective.
The exercise helps to promote blood circulation and reduce swelling. It will be best if you also perform other stretching exercises to relieve pain and prevent scar tissue from developing. These stretching exercises include:
a). Supported Pelvic Tilt:
This stretch helps to reduce abdominal adhesions in the pelvic cavity. To perform:
- Place your legs on a wall and push your buttocks toward the wall to deepen the stretch.
- Hold the position for 15 seconds, then slowly lift your pelvis toward the ceiling.
- Again, hold the position for 15 seconds, then move to the starting position.
- Repeat this 3-4 times.
b). Head Sit-up:
This stretch will allow you to massage the abdomen. To perform:
- Start by lying on your back and resting your feet on the ground.
- Now, cross your arms over your abdomen and pull your stomach muscles toward each other.
- Breathe in and exhale while lifting the head.
- Place your chin close to your chest as much as possible.
- Remain in the same pose for 5-10 seconds.
- Release the stretch, rest, and repeat 8-10 times.
c). Abdominal Twist:
This twist is helpful in stretching abdominal adhesions. To perform:
- Sit on the floor while folding your left leg heel to touch your hips.
- Then, cross your right leg over the left so it touches the left thigh.
- Now, twist your body, move your right elbow outside your left knee, and place your left hand on the floor.
- Also, move your neck to look at your left shoulder and take a deep breath.
- Remain in the same position for 30 seconds, then release.
- Repeat the same for the other side.
Probiotic Therapy
Probiotic therapy is considered a safe therapy and helpful for dissolving adhesions. Probiotic therapy uses live microorganisms (microbes) such as bacteria or yeast to maintain the health of your digestive system and gut bacteria.
However, research on how probiotics work is still in progress. Probiotics also treat obesity, autoimmunity, and diabetes. Probiotics are found in yogurt, kefir, and kimchi.
Medications
The next simple method to dissolve adhesions without surgery is to consider medications. There are medicines available that immediately ease discomfort and help to dissolve adhesions.
You can consider taking OTC medications like ibuprofen to dissolve adhesions if the pain is not severe. Otherwise, consider taking steroids, but this medication is for short-term use only.
Stop after you get the relief. Remember to monitor the effects of the medicine or drug you are taking so they do not hamper your daily life.
Conclusion
Treating adhesions without surgery is a common question for many people. Hopefully, you get the answer to how to dissolve adhesions without surgery.
All these solutions are feasible and greatly help you treat your affected area by increasing blood flow and reducing symptoms of adhesions.
However, if you do not find relief from these solutions, immediately visit your doctor and find a better treatment option.
Read Also:
