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Scar Tissue Mesh? – Dr. Towfigh
Hello,
[USER=”935″]drtowfigh[/USER] So I had a MRN done and the doctor says I have a lot deep scar tissue — little backstory .. I had an inguinal hernia repaired laproscopically with mesh 3 1/2 years ago. Had no problems after surgery until last Jan where I injured myself during a workout. Since then, I’ve had achy and drawing pain in my hernia repair area and a little above (like rectus abdominis area). I’ve gone to tons of doctors already and they have said no hernia recurrence, the mesh looks fine, no muscle tear. My recent MRN showed scar tissue deep around where I injured myself and around mesh area. Also a nerve was highlighted. My question is.. especially to Dr. Towfigh is.. can scar tissue be causing continuous achy and drawing pain. If I injured myself in the same area as my hernia repair? I’m not sure what to do at this point. I’m looking into massage for the scar tissue. It’s been a year already and I’m losing hope. I can’t walk and stand without pain anymore.
Any insight would be great.
Thank you.
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9 Replies
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Yes scar tissue can be the cause of your pain. And a nerve/nerves could be affected by the scar tissue or entrapped in it. Also mesh does not have to fold or tear to cause pain, it can be a great hernia repair but the mesh can still cause pain. Also I found this in an article “surgeons have found scar tissue surrounding the mesh. This scar tissue can cause severe pain and discomfort”. Also “mesh repairs depend on scar tissue to grow into the mesh, forming a large layer of scar tissue. As the scar tissue shrinks, so does the mesh, creating a hard, fibrous mass with nerves embedded within it. Over time, the mesh also hardens and becomes less flexible to the point where explanted mesh samples have become hardened plastic. Do a little research yourself also to get an idea and a better understanding, look up hernia mesh scar tissue. I hope you get some answers!
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I meant relied not relief.
That’s a very difficult question to answer without reviewing your whole story, imaging, and examining you. Usually we don’t blame scar tissue until all other more common things are rules out.
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[USER=”935″]drtowfigh[/USER] what do you mean by the scar tissue cannot be relief upon on its own for bridged hernia repair?
could scar tissue be causing my pain? I was looking into a sports chiropractor who does soft tissue work.
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Just to clarify:
– mesh works as a permanent barrier and the scar tissue is important to secure it as such. But scar tissue is weak. It cannot be relief upon on its own for bridged hernia repair.
– mesh is not found to be torn in the package
– certain very lightweight mesh have been reported to be torn. These were rare events reported with bridges repairs of the abdominal wall. Though theoretically this can happen in the groin, it would be a very rare event. -
quote katiebarns:It’s been a year already and I’m losing hope. I can’t walk and stand without pain anymore.
Hello Katie. I’ve found at times that I can get a persistent sore spot that does not resolve with rest. Instead, working the area by running, hiking, or biking relieves the pain. Vigorous activity that causes heavy breathing and blood flow. My theory about why it works is based on Dr. Bendavid’s proposal that the small pores of the mesh cause nerve damage in the tissue that occupy the pores. The small pores are dead zones, toxic to the nerves that have grown back in.
It’s counterintuitive but if nothing else works it might be worth a shot. I think that the heavy breathing causes more fluid flow in the lower abdomen than just stretching or working out or walking. I have gone several days with no change until I decide to just do something because it’s not getting better.
I am not a medical doctor so use your own judgment. This is just my own experience. Some time on an exercise bike might tell you something without causing too much pain.
Here is a link to Dr. Bendavid’s paper. http://file.scirp.org/pdf/IJCM_2014072117033945.pdf
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quote katiebarns:It’s been a year already and I’m losing hope. I can’t walk and stand without pain anymore.
Hello Katie. I’ve found at times that I can get a persistent sore spot, even after 90% mesh removal, that does not resolve with rest. Instead, working the area by running, hiking, or biking relieves the pain. Vigorous activity that causes heavy breathing and blood flow. My theory about why it works is based on Dr. Bendavid’s proposal that the small pores of the mesh cause nerve damage in the tissue that occupy the pores. The small pores are dead zones, toxic to the nerves that have grown back in.
It’s counterintuitive but if nothing else works it might be worth a shot. I think that the heavy breathing causes more fluid flow in the lower abdomen than just stretching or working out or walking. I have gone several days with no change until I decide to just do something because it’s not getting better.
I am not a medical doctor so use your own judgment. This is just my own experience. Some time on an exercise bike might tell you something without causing too much pain.
Here is a link to Dr. Bendavid’s paper. http://file.scirp.org/pdf/IJCM_2014072117033945.pdf
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quote katiebarns:It’s been a year already and I’m losing hope. I can’t walk and stand without pain anymore.
Hello Katie. I’ve found at times that I can get a persistent sore spot, even after 90% mesh removal, that does not resolve with rest. Instead, working the area by running, hiking, or biking relieves the pain. Vigorous activity that causes heavy breathing and blood flow. My theory about why it works is based on Dr. Bendavid’s proposal that the small pores of the mesh cause nerve damage in the tissue that occupy the pores. The small pores are dead zones, toxic to the nerves that have grown back in.
It’s counterintuitive but if nothing else works it might be worth a shot. I think that the heavy breathing causes more fluid flow in the lower abdomen than just stretching or working out or walking. I have gone several days with no change until I decide to just do something because it’s not getting better.
I am not a medical doctor so use your own judgment. This is just my own experience. Some time on an exercise bike might tell you something without causing too much extra pain.
Here is a link to Dr. Bendavid’s paper. http://file.scirp.org/pdf/IJCM_2014072117033945.pdf
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Sorry to hear what you are going through. All surgeries cause scar tissue and scar tissue alone can cause pain, its not as flexible as your natural tissue or as strong and can get stiff. What people do not understand is when you get hernia surgery with mesh the mesh is not what keeps the hernia from then pushing through its the scar tissue that the mesh causes that becomes the barrier. When mesh is implanted your body pretty much trys to fight it off so it causes a lot of inflammation and then the scar tissue produces. If you look at mesh some have bigger pores and some have many small little ones, all the scar tissue grows through them. Your mesh could have also tore when you were working out, it happens a lot, I have read that some surgeons even admitted that mesh was already torn when they take it out off the package. Sometimes the inflammation just keeps building up and therefore you have pain. Some hernia specialists can read a CT scan and tell if the mesh has torn or migrated. I hope you find some answers I wish you the best of luck.
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Hard to believe no reason for the pain was found.
I’d be suspicious that the imaging was misinterpreted.
Also, other problems like hip etc may be causing similar pain.
A better history of type of pain and location is necessary to determine if it’s nerve issue. Less likely with laparoscopic mesh.
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