Postpartum and osteopathy

Abdominal Pain After Childbirth: When the Body Hasn't Quite Gone Back to Its Place

A pain that is rarely talked about, and that many women carry without knowing where it comes from.

Weeks or months have passed since the birth, the baby is doing well, and everyone assumes you are too. But you still feel something in your abdomen: a pulling sensation when you move, discomfort in the lower belly, pain around the scar, bloating that won't go away. If that sounds familiar, this article explains how I read it from visceral osteopathy and what I can offer you.

A pain that takes many forms

The women who come to my practice with this problem describe different things:

• pain in the lower abdomen,
• discomfort around the scar,
• pain around the navel,
• tension or pain in the ribs,
• a pulling sensation when moving, sitting up or coughing,
• a feeling of bloating.

I don't mean only pain in the vaginal area, but also pelvic and abdominal pain. And I see it after a caesarean as well as after a vaginal birth.

What happens in the body during pregnancy and birth

For nine months the uterus grows and pushes aside the organs around it, while the abdominal wall stretches to make room. After the birth, that whole system has to reorganise itself. In a caesarean, several layers of tissue are also cut through, and healing can leave areas that stick to each other, known as adhesions. In a study of more than 1,400 women, adhesions were found in 24.4% of women after a second caesarean and in 42.8% of those after a third (Tulandi et al., 2009).

Pain that persists after a caesarean is also described in the medical literature, and it is associated with a poorer quality of life for mothers (Alwahabi et al., 2026).

Where visceral osteopathy can contribute

My working hypothesis rests on physiological logic and on my clinical experience: in some women, the organs and tissues of the abdomen don't fully return to their place or recover their mobility. This can lead to:

• adhesions between tissues,
• loss of mobility of the organs and the abdominal wall,
• sustained tension,
• nerve supply and blood flow that don't work as they should in that area.

And an abdomen that doesn't move well, that is tense or poorly supplied with blood, can hurt for a long time.

In my practice I work with my hands so that each structure recovers its place and its function. I aim to:

• release adhesions,
• improve the mobility of the organs and the abdominal wall,
• inhibit the tension that has set in,
• improve the nerve supply and blood flow of the area.

When can you start?

From around six weeks after the birth. There is no need to wait months or years to see whether it goes away on its own.

What I can promise and what I can't

I can't promise the pain will disappear, and I would be wary of anyone who did. What I can tell you is that I work on a part of the problem that often nobody stops to look at, and that, in my experience, many women notice a clear improvement once the abdomen recovers its mobility. Every case responds differently.

If the pain is very intense or comes with fever, abnormal bleeding or a scar that is red or oozing, see your doctor first.

Tell me your story

You can message me on WhatsApp. A few lines are enough:

• When you gave birth and what type of birth it was
• Where you feel the pain and what it is like
• How long you've had it
• What you've tried or been told so far

With that, I'll tell you straight whether I think it makes sense for us to assess your case.

Sources

Tulandi T, et al. Adhesion development and morbidity after repeat cesarean delivery. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2009.

Alwahabi S, et al. Burden of chronic postsurgical pain after caesarean delivery on maternal quality of life: a systematic review. Anaesthesia. 2026. DOI: 10.1111/anae.70362