If this happens, a physical therapist can help you relax and stretch the tissue, Dr. Rawlins said. You can also try massaging the scar yourself, she added, by gently pressing on it, massaging the area in a circular motion or gently pinching and rolling the scar between your fingers.

A brush from your underwear or pressure from your pants seam can also be a “significant source of pain and itch,” Dr. Rawlins said. She recommended that people with sensitive scars wear softer fabrics, seamless underwear or high-waisted clothing that won’t directly contact the tissue.

It’s also possible for the muscles near your midsection, like the abdominal or inner thigh muscles, to feel sore for a while, Ms. Kelly said. People tend to lean forward during C-section recovery so as not to pull on the incision, but over time, this can cause tight, sore muscles around the hip flexors, stomach and even the chest. Once your incision has healed, try sitting with a straighter posture, Dr. Rawlins recommended, and do gentle abdominal and thigh stretches such as the cat-cow yoga stretch or a kneeling hip flexor stretch.

Certain nerves can also get severed during surgery, leading first to numbness, and then to aches and pains when the nerves start to regenerate, Dr. Rawlins said. Sometimes, scar tissue can entrap nerves as it forms, causing a burning sensation in the lower abdomen and groin, Ms. Kelly added. Nerve pain usually subsides over time, but if it persists, see a physician.

Scars can also keep growing beyond the original incision site and turn into keloid scars, which are thick and raised. These can cause pain and itching, too, Dr. Lamb said, and may be treated with steroid injections or silicone creams or tapes.