Adhesions normally occur after an injury, infection, surgery or radiation treatment. They form when two parts of tissue that should remain separate attempt to bind. When the body attempts to heal itself, the cells that do the repair work can't tell the difference between one organ and another. If an organ under repair comes into contact with another, adhesions between the two can form.

In most cases adhesions form in the stomach, pelvis and heart, though they can form anywhere. They appear as thin sheets of tissue or as thick fibrous bands, depending upon how the cells try to repair the area.

Abdominal Adhesions

These are a common complication of surgery. Nearly 95% of all people who undergo abdominal or pelvic surgery get adhesions. They can also occur naturally, usually because of an injury or trauma you sustained or an infection you had at some point in your life.

The good news is that most adhesions are painless and there are no complications. However, they can cause chronic pelvic pain and approximately two-thirds of all bowel obstructions in adults are caused by adhesions.

If you had surgery adhesions will usually begin to form in the days immediately following, but you may not experience any symptoms from them for months or years. This is especially true of bowel obstructions. As the scar tissue forms it begins to restrict the motion of the small intestines. Eventually, food can no longer pass easily through the digestive system and a blockage occurs.

In rare instances, adhesions can form fibrous bands around part of the intestine. Eventually, blood flow to this region becomes restricted and the tissue dies.

Pelvic Adhesions

Pelvic adhesions can form between any organs in the pelvis, including the uterus, fallopian tubes or bladder. Most often they occur after surgery in the region but infections that lead to pelvic inflammatory disease can also cause adhesions to form within the fallopian tubes. Because eggs must pass through these tubes, these adhesions can lead to infertility problems. They can also increase the chances of ectopic pregnancy where the fetus develops outside of the uterus.

Heart Adhesions

Adhesions can form in several places in the heart. The scar tissue can be within the membranes that surround the heart, which will restrict its ability to function properly. Infections can also create adhesions to grow on the heart valves, leading to decreased efficiency.