Overview Causes Symptoms Treatment
What is hysterectomy pain?
Hysterectomy pain refers to pain or discomfort that occurs after the surgical removal of the uterus.
Common Related Conditions
Causes of hysterectomy pain
Hysterectomy pain can arise from several factors. In the early postoperative period, pain is typically due to normal tissue healing, inflammation, and incisional trauma following the excision surgery. Pain that persists beyond expected recovery can be caused by post-surgical adhesions— powerful strands of internal scar tissue that tend to form glue-like internal bonds as the body heals from surgery. Adhesions can bind pelvic organs together, restrict their movement, or create tension on nerves and surrounding tissues, leading to chronic pelvic or abdominal pain. Changes in pelvic anatomy after the uterus is removed can shift organ positions, causing new strain patterns in the pelvis, hips, or lower back. Some patients experience pelvic floor dysfunction, nerve irritation, or entrapment; others report pain related to conditions that existed before surgery, such as endometriosis or fibroids. Emotional stress or hormonal changes following a hysterectomy can influence how pain is perceived.
Symptoms of hysterectomy pain
- Pelvic or lower abdominal pain that persists beyond normal healing
- Sharp, burning, or pulling sensations in the pelvis or abdomen
- Pain or tenderness at the incision site (abdominal or vaginal)
- Deep pelvic pain linked to internal adhesions
- Pain during intercourse (dyspareunia)
- Low back, hip, or groin pain due to pelvic structural changes
- Bloating, constipation, or digestive discomfort if adhesions affect the bowel
- Bladder urgency, frequency, or discomfort
- A feeling of tightness, restriction, or “pulling” inside the pelvis
Treatment for hysterectomy pain
The Clear Passage® Approach is designed to slowly and methodically reduce or eliminate adhesions. Our therapists tell us it feels as if they are pulling out the run in a powerful three-dimensional sweater, strand by strand. Numerous peer-reviewed medical journals indicate that as the therapy dissipates adhesions, pain often decreases significantly and function improves, without surgery or drugs.
Clear Passage® Therapy utilizes a non-surgical, hands-on physical therapy approach designed to reduce adhesions—internal scar tissue—that can form after surgery. Using specialized manual techniques developed and refined over more than 30 years, our trained therapists gently manipulate and stretch the affected tissues to dissolve, distort, and detach restrictive adhesions. Numerous peer-reviewed studies show we have restored normal mobility and greatly improved the function of organs and muscles in the abdomen and pelvis.
The therapy typically involves a 5-day course of treatment, broken into two-hour sessions. During treatment, therapists focus on the areas where your adhesions are interfering with organ movement, blood flow, and nerve function. The goal is to reduce pain, improve range of motion, enhance organ function.
Other Treatment Options (Surgery, Drugs)
Until recently, lysis (burning or cutting adhesions during laparoscopy or laparotomy) was the only option to remove adhesions in the pelvis. While lysis of pelvic adhesions can be effective, surgery has major drawbacks:
- It carries risks associated with anesthesia or infection.
- Surgeons can mistakenly cut or burn nearby or underlying structures.
- Despite the best skills of the finest surgeon, the body tends to create more adhesions as it heals from the very surgery designed to remove them.
A study in Digestive Surgery showed that 55% to 100% of women develop adhesions after undergoing pelvic surgery. Another study reported that 35 percent 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. Thus, pelvic surgery itself has been implicated as a major cause of adhesion formation. Many patients become trapped in a cycle of surgery-adhesions-surgery, with no end in sight. Clear Passage® therapists provide the end to that cycle for many women.
Condition Specific Disclaimer:
Clear Passage® Therapy provides specialized manual physical therapy intended to address adhesions and improve pelvic and abdominal mobility, which may help reduce pain after a hysterectomy. Individual results vary; no medical or therapeutic technique can guarantee pain relief or specific medical outcomes. We always encourage each applicant to consult her physician to rule out underlying conditions and determine the most appropriate course of care.
Testimonials:
To read Clear Passage® Therapy patient success stories, please visit our Testimonials page.