I’m trained in four types of abdominal therapy. I can do an awesome colon massage if I do say so myself, but if I send you out the door after your treatment without some alignment education, I feel like I’m doing you a disservice. In fact, alignment is so important no matter your reason for bodywork is, whether it’s back pain, neck pain, prolapsed uterus, constipation, painful periods, or fertility. Think about it this way: if I help to restore proper blood flow and function to your colon through manual therapies, but you leave my office and sit slumped at your desk all day, you may create excessive intra-abdominal pressure, interfering with blood, lymph, and nerve flow as well as internal organ motility. This can cause slowed-down digestion, increased gas, bloating, and pain.
Please read on, I wouldn’t want you to return to your desk and try to obtain “good posture” by lifting your chest up (which is the automatic thing people do when trying to “correct their posture”). This thrusting (see IceMan below) creates stress in the thoracic vertebrae and can lead to a host of other issues. Ribcage thrusting can also add unnecessary stress on the nerves that innervate the internal organs and abdominal muscles, as well as increase the chances of a hiatal hernia.
Correct alignment during sitting starts with a neutral pelvis. *See below.
Sitting slumped in a chair or walking around with a tucked pelvis cancels out all your hard work. Awareness is key. Don’t get me wrong just because you’re now sitting on your sit bones and not slumped doesn’t mean you’re all good. The frequency of sitting also matters. Vary your position throughout your day.
Make Shift Happen! An online course for relieving constipation!
Learn abdominal massage and other remedies for constipation! If you would like to learn how to do abdominal massage for constipation from an abdominal massage expert, this course is for you. This constipation course goes beyond general massage for constipation. You will learn specific massage techniques for each area of your colon, as well as for the small intestine. You will also learn about nutritional remedies (beyond just eating more fiber), herbal remedies, exercises, and other methods to relieve constipation, gas, and bloating.
Exercise for Bloated Abdomen
Spinal Twist for constipation, bloating, and gas relief
Below you will see a restorative exercise for digestive health. This is one of my favorite RE moves; it’s called the spinal twist. This exercise not only massages the colon and gets blood flow through the area, but it also lengthens the muscles that rotate vertebrae, elongates the psoas, lengthens the shoulder girdle and deeper abdominal musculature, and compresses the abdominal aorta.
Recline on the floor with a neutral pelvis
Pull the right knee toward the chest, flexed at 90 degrees
Drop the knee to the floor by rotating the pelvis to the left
Keep your right arm, rib cage, scapula, and wrist on the floor (don’t force it, it may take time)
Breathe for one minute in this position
To come out, straighten your leg and roll back to the starting position
Repeat on the opposite side
Author: Barbara Horsley has more than 26 years of experience as a licensed massage therapist. She specializes in abdominal massage and Visceral Manipulation™ and is an NCBTMB-approved educator. In addition to being certified in abdominal massage, she also studied biomechanics and restorative exercise. She is also a Certified Women’s Herbal Educator and a graduate of the IWHI Perimenopause & Menopause Certificate Program.