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Reply to "Adhesions"

This thread has gotten a bit confusing, partly because we've called some very different things by the same names. Jan and thumprhare have helped shed some light on this. When surgeons talk about adhesions they're just about guaranteed to be talking about fibrous connections of scar-type tissue in the abdomen that attach things together that shouldn't be attached - two different parts of the bowel, for example, or part of the bowel to the abdominal wall. These are a common consequence of *any* abdominal surgery. Sometimes (certainly not always) they can be in very troublesome locations, and as the bowel tries to slide around freely in the abdomen these attachments can't let go. The attached bowel can get kinked or twisted, or even a different section of bowel can get wrapped around the attachment. If you've ever had something in a tumble clothes dryer get twisted on or wrapped around a drawstring you may have a useful visual.

 

When these twists or kinks interfere with gut function they may cause a complete or partial blockage. Sometimes (usually) things slide back to where they belong after a time, and the blockage is resolved. If not, one option is surgery to either cut the adhesions or simply to unblock ("unravel") the bowel. Most surgeons will cut the adhesions if they are "in there anyway." Any abdominal surgery, even one to deal with adhesions or blockages, can cause more adhesions.

 

When adhesions are so troublesome that they must be dealt with, surgery simply to cut/remove them can be performed. Surgeons tend to be reluctant to do so, because the outcome is far from guaranteed. Some people get tremendous relief, but others get worse (or no better).

 

There are methods of abdominal massage that attempt to resolve blockages caused by adhesions, or even claim to help adhesions in semi-mysterious ways. They haven't been well studied, as far as I know - if someone knows otherwise please share. Surely some people have had blockages resolve after such a treatment, but it's hard to know if the treatment had anything to do with it.

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