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Adhesion Endometriosis

Endometrial tissue (shown in red) normally forms within the delicate cilia on the walls of the uterus, as seen in this drawing based an electron microscope view of the uterine wall. Endometrial tissue (shown in red) normally forms within the delicate cilia on the walls of the uterus, as seen in this drawing based on an electron microscope view of the uterine wall.

Endometriosis refers to a condition in which endometrial tissue that normally lines the uterus is found in other areas of the body. It may appear on or near the reproductive organs or within the abdominal cavity. When it appears, it causes inflammation, often accompanied by adhesions that form to help the body heal from the inflammation. Adhesions from endometriosis can join structures with strong glue-like bonds that can last a lifetime (see our general adhesions page for more detail.)

Adhesions, endometriosis, pain, and dysfunction are intimately related. Adhesions from endometriosis can cause pain anywhere in the body ( abdomen, pelvis, low back). Dysfunctions such as poor digestion, irritable bowel, and infertility may also result from the adhesions and endometriosis. We believe that the pull of adhesions on pain-sensitive structures is what causes the severe, debilitating pain in many women with endometriosis.

Two of our studies (summarized below) attracted the attention of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) who asked us to present our findings to its several physician members in the fall of 2006. The abstracts were published in Fertility and Sterility (9/06).


Adhesions: endometriosis pain study:

Adhesions and Endometriosis Adhesions and Endometriosis

In "Treating endometriosis pain with a manual pelvic physical therapy,"1 we examined adhesion and endometriosis pain at several times during the cycle

Results showed that our non-surgical therapy decreased pain at all times during the menstrual cycle. The greatest improvements were shown at (typically) the most painful times – during menstruation and sexual intercourse.

Adhesions: endometriosis sexual function study: In “Improving sexual function in patients with endometriosis via a pelvic physical therapy,”2 we reported the results of our therapy in women with endometriosis on the six domains of sexual function measurable by science

Following therapy, patients reported improvements in all six areas, and overall. The greatest improvements were in intercourse pain (93% of patients reported decreased pain).


Treating Adhesions from Endometriosis with Surgery

Lysis of adhesions involves surgery and anesthesia.Lysis of adhesions involves surgery and anesthesia.

Drugs have been prescribed to suppress the growth and pain of endometriosis, but they are not a long-term solution, and many of them interfere with fertility. Until recently, the only choice medical science has offered to treat adhesions from endometriosis was a surgical procedure called “lysis of adhesions.”

While lysis of adhesions can be effective, surgery has two major drawbacks:

  1. it carries risks from anesthesia and infection, and
  2. despite the best skills of the finest surgeon, the body creates more adhesions as it heals from the surgery designed to remove them.

A study in Digestive Surgery showed that more than 90% of patients develop adhesions following open abdominal surgery and 55% to 100% of women develop adhesions following pelvic surgery.3 Another study reported that 35% of all open abdominal or pelvic surgery patients were readmitted to the hospital more than twice to treat post-surgical adhesions during the 10 years after their original surgery.4 Thus, abdominal surgery itself has been implicated as a major cause of adhesion formation and many patients become trapped in a cycle of surgery-adhesions-surgery – with no end in sight.


Treating Adhesions from Endometriosis with Clear Passage Therapies ®

Belinda Wurn, PT treats a patient with her manual physical therapy which has been shown to reduce adhesions, decrease pain, and improve function, in peer-reviewed medical journals. Belinda Wurn, PT treats a patient with her manual physical therapy which has been shown to reduce adhesions, decrease pain, and improve function, in peer-reviewed medical journals.

We know adhesions well. We faced this situation 20 years ago when the physical therapist director of Clear Passage Therapies®, Belinda Wurn, developed severe adhesions after pelvic surgery and radiation therapy to her abdomen. Unable to work due to the pain, and having seen the devastating and debilitating effects of adhesions in her own patients, she was determined to find a non-surgical way to address adhesions.

With her husband, massage therapist Larry Wurn, Belinda took a much deeper look at the etiology and biomechanics of adhesion formation. They found that the chemical bonds that attached each of the tiny collagen fibers to its neighbor appeared to dissipate or dissolve when placed under sustained pressure over time. With this knowledge, they developed the Wurn Technique® to unravel the bonds between the crosslinks that comprise adhesions.

The “hands-on” work practiced at Clear Passage Therapies® clinics is designed to reduce or eliminate adhesions, crosslink by crosslink. It has been shown in peer-reviewed medical journals to reduce adhesions, decrease pain, and improve soft tissue mobility, without the risks of surgery or drugs.

Visit our “what treatment is like” web page for more information, or click the link at the bottom of this page now, to complete a medical history questionnaire and apply for a free, in-depth consultation.


  1. Wurn LJ, Wurn BF, King CR, Roscow AS, Scharf ES, Shuster JJ. Treating endometriosis pain with a manual physical therapy. Fertil Steril. 2006; 86 (Supp 2): S262. Abstract.
  2. Wurn LJ, Wurn BF, King CR, Roscow AS, Scharf ES, Shuster JJ.  Improving sexual function in patients with endometriosis via a pelvic physical therapy. Fertil Steril. 2006; 86 (Supp 2): S29-30. Abstract.
  3. Liakakos T, Thomakos N, Fine PM, Dervenis C, Young RL. Peritoneal Adhesions: Etiology, Pathophysiology, and Clinical Significance. Dig Surg. 2001; 18: 260-273. PMID 11528133.
  4. Ellis H, Moran BJ, Thompson JN, Parker MC, Wilson MS, Menzies D, McGuire A, Lower AM, Hawthorn RJ, O’Brien F, Buchan S, Crowe AM. Adhesion-related hospital readmissions after abdominal and pelvic surgery: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet Br J Med. 1999; 353: 1476-80. PMID 10232313
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What physicians say:

Learn more about non-surgical therapy for adhesions in our book Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain (publication date: 9/2009).

“I am excited to see that you have studied and perfected a technique to treat adhesions, with years of experience, scientific 'backup' and case studies to prove it. This technique makes sense.”
- Leslie Mendoza Temple. MD
Medical Director, Integrative Medicine NorthShore University HealthSystem
Professor, Northwestern University Medical School

“In the past treatment for adhesions has been even more surgery, which caused even more adhesions. Now with the amazing ‘Clear Passage’ technique, patients have a safe and effective alternative to surgery. . . . I know it does work and recommend it to all my patients with adhesive disease.”
- Jacques Moritz, MD
Director of Endoscopy Section and Division of Gynecology, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

“The Wurns are revolutionizing woman's health. Tried and proven, documented and studied again and again – the proof is in the results. We have shared many patients who had . . . complete tubal obstruction, scarring or intractable pelvic pain. I have seen their work help all of these conditions, and more. Their therapy is beyond surgical intervention; it taps right into the body's inherent healing capacity.”
- Dr. Randine Lewis, L.Ac.
Author of The Infertility Cure and The Way of the Fertile Soul