It’s never too late.

Feel like you’ll never fully recover from your abdominal surgery or other forms of abdominal distress? I know it can feel daunting, frightening, confusing, even impossible to get the help you need.

But I want you to have a full shot at recovery. That is what my work is all about.

Whether you are experiencing . . .

bowel obstructions
post-cesarian numbness, pain, bloating, or other problems
post-surgical discomfort (even if your doctor says you are healed from the surgery)
changes in digestive ease, whether from SIBO, inflammation, or other causes
abdominal and/or pelvic adhesions of any sort (even before you’ve had any surgery)

I’m here to help.

Of course, there are many other forms of abdominal distress. In my private practice (over 11 years of it) and through my online programs (over 6 years in service) the issues above are what I have seen most reliably resolved with the natural, safe, hands-on work and movement techniques I teach.

Abdominal adhesions CAN be helped

“Abdominal Adhesions” has become the catch-all phrase (and diagnosis) to label abdominal scars, restriction, tissue hardness, and many other abdominal-related problems.

That’s fine with me.

What’s not fine with me is that people are often told there’s nothing that can be done about it. They just have to live with it.

That is not true for the vast majority of people. Adhesions CAN be helped.

How do I know? Because I’ve spent the last decade helping people recover from many different forms of abdominal adhesions. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. We are all individuals and our bodies heal at different rates and in response to different therapies and approaches. There have been a handful of people I or my online programs have not been able to help, but that has been the exception rather than the rule.

I believe strongly that if the techniques I use and teach aren’t the right help for you, there is still help out there. That’s why I’ve created the practitioner directory.

What are adhesions?

Adhesions are just what they sound like: sticky spots in the tissues of your body. Sometimes the sticky is caused by true scar tissue (collagen fibers used to heal a wound). Sometimes the sticky is caused by a decrease in blood flow to an area, inflammation (especially chronic), infection, dehydration, and much more. Adhesions can happen anywhere in the body. Because they tend to involve the abdominal organs when they’re in the belly area, abdominal adhesions can have a greater impact on your health and wellbeing than if they are, for example, in your shoulder or hip (though they’re no joke in those areas, either).

In practice, there is a lot of difference between:

scar tissue formed in response to incisions

and

tissues that are stuck (or adhered) together by other means.

As I mentioned, those “other means” are as various as dehydration, repetitive motion or repetitive prolonged sitting, trauma to the tissues, massive life stress, etc.

How can I help?

I want to help you recover.

To that end, I have created robust online programs (especially for those of you who are not in or near Portland, OR where I practice).

One of the things I hear most often from people once they have started working with my programs is:

Thank you for helping me to understand that I am not a lost cause. I thought I was all alone, and now I see I am not. I am so relieved to find that there is something I can do.

I know it can be demoralizing to keep hitting walls of misinformation or non-understanding. When you are looking for solutions to your pain or distress, you need practical information and help that takes your situation into account.

I have made all of my programs to teach you safe and effective techniques to help yourself recover in a way that is specific to you.

It’s Not Just You

Millions of people every year (and that’s just in the U.S.) suffer from some form of abdominal adhesions. And, as you likely know from your own experience, adhesions can create huge amounts of pain and dysfunction – much of which can be resolved with safe and effective forms of massage or manual therapy.

That’s what this site is all about.

I know it can seem completely overwhelming to think about adding in something new when your life may already be dominated by your symptoms. But it is worth the effort.

“After six years of abdominal discomfort following surgery requiring an abdominal incision and after two bowel obstructions all apparently related to post-surgical adhesions, I saw Isabel for treatment of abdominal adhesions. After her first treatment I felt very different with everything feeling like it was moving without catches for the first time in years. After the initial treatment I had some ups and downs and Isabel taught me some self-massage techniques which have been very effective. After six months of treatments and self massage I have been on a smooth course with few flare-ups which are handled with self massage and an occasional tune up from Isabel. Isabel has been a delight to work with and I highly recommend her care and work.” – AB

Learn more here: Find out why abdominal manual therapy or massage is a safe form of treatment for you.