For some reason this always cracks me up (and not always in the funny way, sometimes it’s in the Lady Macbeth wrenching of the hands way). I think I’ve just been working with adhesions for so long it’s hard for me to understand the idea of using drugs or surgery to break up what is arguably one of the easiest things to deal with in the body.
Adhesions are so NORMAL!! Everyone (except maybe some teeny, tiny, unlucky portion of the human population) has adhesions somewhere in their body – arms, legs, shoulders, feet, hands, abdomens, backs, bellies, you name it. Adhesions are just what the body does under stress.
Does that mean they’re not serious business? Of course not! Adhesions hurt, dammit! Or at the very least, they create a little less range of motion. At the (almost) very most, they completely trash quality of life. Adhesions definitely need to be taken care of no matter where they crop up. But over-intervention when it’s not really necessary is just tragic to my mind. Yes, sometimes surgery or drugs are necessary. And if that’s you, do it and whistle all the way. But if you have any other options, really just give manual therapy a chance. This is what it was made for.
Ok, that’s enough of a Friday rant. Now it’s time for chocolate!
Author Profile

- Isabel Spradlin is a Registered Nurse (RN), Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), and abdominal adhesion specialist in Portland, OR. She specializes in educating people about manual treatment (massage) for abdominal pain and dysfunction, especially when it is adhesion related. Please see the "Programs" page to see her offerings.
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