--- title: "C-Section Recovery: Scar, Core and Pelvic Floor" id: "8035" type: "post" slug: "c-section-recovery" published_at: "2026-08-21T01:40:22+00:00" modified_at: "2026-08-21T04:55:30+00:00" url: "https://www.allforone.com.au/c-section-recovery/" markdown_url: "https://www.allforone.com.au/c-section-recovery.md" excerpt: "Physiotherapy · Postnatal Most caesarean wounds are well healed by about six weeks, which is when you will have your postnatal check. The recovery underneath takes far longer. The scar keeps softening and fading for twelve to eighteen months, sensation..." taxonomy_category: - "Women's Health Physiotherapy" --- Physiotherapy · PostnatalMost caesarean wounds are well healed by about six weeks, which is when you will have your postnatal check. The recovery underneath takes far longer. The scar keeps softening and fading for twelve to eighteen months, sensation returns gradually, and rebuilding your abdominal wall and pelvic floor is measured in months. Feeling not yourself at three months is normal, not failure. Last updated 21 August 2026 A caesarean is major abdominal surgery, and you go home from it holding a newborn. Most women are given a wound-care sheet and a six-week checkup and very little in between. Here is what the first months usually look like, what to do about the scar, and why your pelvic floor still needs checking even though your baby did not come that way. 4.9★★★★★4.9 across 260+ Google reviews. [Book an appointment](/book-appointment/) [Call us](/contact-us/) Women’s health physiotherapy at Yarraville, Hampton East and Kensington. Babies welcome at appointments. 01## The first six weeks A c-section cuts through skin, fat, fascia and the muscle layer is parted to reach your uterus. That is a lot of tissue healing at once, while you are feeding, lifting and not sleeping. Early on the useful things are unglamorous. Support your tummy with a pillow or your hands when you cough, sneeze or laugh. Roll onto your side before sitting up rather than curling straight up. Get up and walk little and often, because gentle movement helps circulation and helps your bowel wake up. Keep on top of your pain relief rather than waiting until it hurts, because women who are comfortable move more, and moving is what helps. Your obstetrician or GP guides the medical side and the timing of your six-week check. What follows here is the movement and recovery side, which is where physiotherapy fits. 02## How long does a c-section scar take to heal? A caesarean scar keeps changing for a lot longer than most women expect. It usually starts raised, firm and pink or purple, and it softens and fades over roughly twelve to eighteen months, which matches the [Better Health Channel guidance on caesarean recovery](https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/caesarean-section) . If yours still looks angry at three months, that is generally normal rather than a sign something has gone wrong. What matters more than the colour is how it moves. A healthy c section scar glides over the tissue underneath. A scar that is stuck down pulls when you stretch, arch or reach overhead, and that tethering is what tends to cause the aching and the pulling sensation months later. 03## Why is my c-section scar numb, and what is the shelf? **Numbness** above and around the scar is extremely common. Small nerves in the skin are cut during the surgery, and the patch of skin they served goes numb. Sensation usually returns gradually over months as those nerves recover, though some women keep a small permanent numb patch. Occasionally the opposite happens and the area becomes hypersensitive instead. **The overhang**, sometimes called the shelf, is the fold that sits above the scar line. It is not simply fat that will not shift. It is usually the scar being tethered down to the tissue underneath while the area above it is not, so a ridge forms. That is why it often does not respond to losing weight, and why scar work and rebuilding the abdominal wall underneath tend to change it more than dieting does. 04## When can I start caesarean scar massage? Caesarean scar massage is the main thing you can do yourself to stop a scar tethering, and almost nobody is shown how. Wait until the wound is fully closed and healed, with no scabbing, weeping or open areas. For most women that is somewhere around six weeks, and it is worth having it checked rather than guessing. Once you are cleared, work with clean hands and a little plain moisturiser. Start on the skin *above and below* the line rather than directly on it, moving in small circles, then gently move the skin up and down and side to side to encourage it to glide. Over time you work closer to the scar itself and a little firmer. It should feel like pressure or odd sensation, not sharp pain, and a couple of minutes most days does more than a long session once a week. If the scar is very tender, very stuck, or you simply cannot bring yourself to touch it, that is worth an appointment rather than a reason to skip it. Your pelvic floor carried the pregnancy, whichever way your baby arrived. 05## Yes, your pelvic floor still needs checking This is the most common misunderstanding we hear from women who have had a caesarean, and it costs them years. Nine months of a growing uterus loads the pelvic floor regardless of how your baby is born, which is why the [Continence Foundation of Australia](https://www.continence.org.au/who-it-affects/women/pregnancy-and-childbirth) treats pregnancy itself, not just a vaginal birth, as the risk. Add the hormonal changes of pregnancy and the fact that many caesareans follow a long labour, and plenty of women who have never pushed still end up with leaking, urgency or a feeling of heaviness. If you leak when you laugh, run or sneeze, feel heaviness or dragging, or find intimacy uncomfortable, none of that is ruled out by having had a c-section, and none of it is something you have to live with. It is assessable and it is usually treatable. 06## Rebuilding underneath the scar The muscle layer was parted to reach your baby, and it does not simply switch back on because the wound closed. A lot of women describe feeling disconnected from their middle, as though the signal does not get through. Rebuilding starts with getting those deep muscles firing again and breathing that works with the effort rather than against it, then progresses to real load: carrying, lifting, twisting, and eventually whatever you want to get back to. Many women also have [ab separation](/understanding-diastasis-recti-abdominis-dram-causes-prevention-and-treatment/) alongside the scar, and the two are worth assessing together because they share the same abdominal wall. At All for One that begins as one-on-one [postnatal physiotherapy](/treatment/postnatal-physiotherapy/) appointments at our Yarraville, Hampton East and Kensington studios in Melbourne, then moves into [Clinical Pilates](/classes/clinical-pilates/) or [Mums and Bubs](/classes/mums-and-bubs/) classes when you are ready to build. 07## Driving, lifting and getting back to exercise **Driving** usually comes back somewhere around four to six weeks, but the test is practical rather than a date: you need to be able to do an emergency stop and look over your shoulder without hesitating. Check your insurer’s position too, since some have their own conditions. **Lifting** advice is often given as a hard limit, then quietly ignored because you have a baby and a capsule. More useful is how you lift: close to your body, without holding your breath, and building up rather than testing yourself early. **Exercise** is a progression, not a date on the calendar. Walking early, then loaded strength work, then impact once your abdominal wall and pelvic floor can handle it. Running is the biggest ask, and after a caesarean it usually comes later than women expect. We assess readiness rather than guess it, and there is [a full guide to returning to running postnatally](/returning-to-running-postnatally/) if you want to know what that involves. 08## When to get medical advice Physiotherapy is for the recovery side. Some things need a doctor, and promptly. Contact your GP, your maternity unit or an emergency department if you have a fever, pain that is increasing rather than easing, a wound that is opening, weeping, smelly or spreading redness, heavy or foul-smelling bleeding, pain or swelling in one calf, chest pain or shortness of breath. None of that is a reason to be anxious about ordinary healing, which is uncomfortable and slow and normal. It is simply the list worth knowing so you are not talking yourself out of a phone call at two in the morning. 09## Caesarean, c-section, cesarean If you have a discharge summary or a referral in front of you, the wording can be confusing. **Caesarean** is the standard Australian spelling and the one you will see on hospital paperwork. **C-section** and **c section** are what most people say. **Cesarean** is the American spelling. They all describe the same operation, so c section recovery and caesarean recovery are the same subject, and nothing on this page changes depending on which word your paperwork uses. ## Nobody checks this, and they should. A women’s health physiotherapy appointment covers your scar, your abdominal wall and your pelvic floor together, and gives you a plan that progresses. Six weeks after your caesarean or six years, it is the same starting point. [Book an appointment](/book-appointment/) [Call us](/contact-us/) FAQ## Questions we hear a lot How long does c-section recovery take?The wound is usually well healed by around six weeks, which is when most women have their postnatal check. The deeper recovery takes much longer. The scar keeps softening and fading for roughly twelve to eighteen months, sensation returns gradually, and rebuilding the abdominal wall and pelvic floor is a progression measured in months rather than weeks. Feeling like yourself again at three months is not a failure. When can I start caesarean scar massage?Once the wound is fully closed with no scabbing, weeping or open areas, which for most women is around six weeks. Have it checked rather than guessing. Start on the skin above and below the line with clean hands and a little moisturiser, moving in small circles and gently gliding the skin, then work closer and firmer over time. A couple of minutes most days beats one long session a week. Do I need pelvic floor physio if I had a c-section?Often yes. Pregnancy itself loads the pelvic floor for nine months regardless of how your baby is born, and many caesareans follow a long labour. If you leak when you laugh, run or sneeze, feel heaviness or dragging, or find intimacy uncomfortable, having had a caesarean does not rule any of that out. It is assessable and usually treatable. Why do I have a shelf or overhang above my c-section scar?Usually because the scar has tethered to the tissue underneath while the area above it has not, so a ridge forms along the line. It is not simply fat, which is why it often does not respond to losing weight. Scar work to free the tethering, plus rebuilding the abdominal wall underneath, tends to change it more than dieting does. Is numbness around my caesarean scar normal?Yes, and it is very common. Small skin nerves are cut during the surgery, so the area they served goes numb. Sensation usually returns gradually over months, though some women keep a small permanent numb patch. Some people get the opposite and the area becomes overly sensitive instead. Both are worth mentioning at an assessment. When can I run again after a caesarean?Later than most women expect, and it depends on your body rather than the calendar. Running loads the pelvic floor and abdominal wall heavily, so the sensible order is deep core and pelvic floor work, then strength, then impact once you can handle it. We test readiness rather than guess, and build the return in stages.