What Bungee Cords Teach Us About C-Sections and Movement
How Can the Shoulders be Impacted By a C-section?
How Theresa’s Shoulder Issue Traced Back to Her C-Section
Imagine trying to fix a frayed bungee cord. You might reach for glue, thread, or elastic, and a YouTube video to guide carefully weaving it back together. If the fray is in the middle, you’ve got room to work with — and a good shot at restoring its stretch and strength.
But if the cord is frayed near the end? That’s a different story. With less surface to rebuild, even the best repair job might not hold up to tension the way it once did.
Now, take that image and apply it to your body — specifically, the deep, heavy-duty muscles in your abdomen, pelvic floor, and hips.
These are the body’s internal “bungee cords” — muscles like the iliopsoas (psoas), deep abdominals, and transverse abdominis — and they’re essential for balance, posture, and fluid movement. When these muscles get separated during the surgery, restoring their function is a lot like trying to put bungee cords back together again.
What Happens to These “Cords” in a C-Section?
Each C-section involves cutting through multiple layers of tissue — including structures connecting to the key core muscles. The muscles themselves are not necessarily cut, but instead, pulled out of the way. While the surgical scar heals on the outside, the internal muscle tension patterns often don’t reset on their own.
And there are a lot of C-sections — 1.2 million annually in the U.S. That’s about 1 in 3 births, each potentially leading to lasting muscle coordination issues that no one talks about.
👉 This isn’t an argument against C-sections. They’re life-saving procedures for both moms and babies. But it’s important to acknowledge and address what happens to the body after the birth.
It’s Not Just the Scar — It’s the Movement Disruption
The typical focus after surgery is on scar care. But with the Bridging® Technique, we look at how surgery disrupts functional movement.
Some of the most common patterns we see after a C-section include:
- Restricted hip rotation
- Limited hip extension
- Poor coordination between abdominal and back muscles
You might think the only issues after a C-section would be the hips or core, the related disruptions can affect your entire movement system. The symptoms don’t always show up where you expect.
In Theresa’s case, it wasn’t her core or hips that were the problem …
Theresa’s Shoulder
After her son was born, Theresa chalked up her uneven shoulders to cradling the baby one-sided or nursing in awkward positions. But two years later — and despite yoga, stretching, chiropractic, and more — her shoulders were still uneven, and nothing seemed to help.
We met at a business event where I casually mentioned how surgeries — such as a C-section — can impact movement in surprising ways.
Ding-ding-ding! A lightbulb went off.
Could her C-section be at the root of her stubborn shoulder problem?
What We Found in Her Bridging Session
In Theresa’s Bridging session, we assessed her movement patterns. She was stunned by the tightness and asymmetry caused by the scar tissue — and how much it impacted her shoulder mobility.
She also had a lingering shoulder injury from an old workout class, which added another layer to the issue. You can see this unfold in the video.
Why C-Section Scars Create Asymmetry
A common pattern we see in C-sections (and other abdominal surgeries) is more tension on one side of the scar. Why? Because surgeons typically start closing from one side, which creates uneven pull through the muscle and fascia layers.
With Bridging, we gently support and guide the affected muscles so they can relax, realign, and re-coordinate. After just one session, Theresa could feel a noticeable release of tension in her core — and her shoulder relaxed too.
“I definitely felt different after our session. I swear my shoulders are more even now!”
– Theresa
There’s more to her story — step two of her process will be coming in a future video early this summer. Stay tuned!
Ready to move with ease again?
If you’ve had a C-section — even years ago — and are still struggling with unexplained pain, tightness, or postural imbalance, Bridging may offer the missing piece.
✔ Gentle, non-invasive resets to your muscle coordination
✔ Noticeable improvement—even after one session
✔ No daily exercises or “homework” needed