How Helpful Is Constipation Massage For You?

Often known as the “mother of all diseases”, constipation causes the discomfort of every bodily function and leads to various health issues. That’s why our health experts; Zubin Tantra, Zenobia Tantra, Rebecca Ellis, Erin McCabe, Tricia Lewandowski,  recommend to try massage for constipation. Let’s find out how helpful bowel massage and colon massage can be for easing constipation. 

What is Constipation and its Symptoms

Constipation is a dysfunction that causes irregular bowel movements and makes it hard to pass. It causes immense discomfort in your gut and colon. To know if you are constipated, look for symptoms like nausea, bloating, dry and hard stool, cramps, and stomach ache. 

What Are The Major Causes of Constipation?

Common conditions like low fibre diet, change in routine, new medication, dehydration, anxiety, iron supplements intake, eating disorders, antidepressants, and excessive exercise can cause it. Some serious major causes of constipation are diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, intestinal obstruction, antacids, pregnancy, colorectal cancer, and diverticulitis. 

How To Massage Stomach For Constipation?  

One of the natural and easiest ways to ease the discomfort is massage for constipation. Many health specialists recommend going for a constipation massage to bring regularity to your bowels. It’s a problem that can affect people of all ages, from newborns to the elderly. Elderly people who have problems moving around much can opt for dynamic balance activities to prevent constipation caused by immobility.. Let’s see how to massage to relieve constipation. 

Directions of Stomach Massage For Constipation

1. Lay on your back, bring your knees to your chest, and gently squeeze for 1 to 2 minutes. 
2. Put your hands on your lower abdomen, below the belly button. Pull your hands up with some pressure towards the ribs. 
3. Now put your hands on the back and bring them around to the front and down your hips and groin area, massaging the muscles and belly. 
4. Make a fist with your right hand and press it firmly into your belly at a hip bone level. Slide your hand in circular motion  towards the ribs, back to your belly, and down to your left hip bone and then back towards the bottom of your belly. Move the fist on these places by applying moderate pressure. 
5. Make firm circular motions with your fists on your ribs and slide them down to your hips. 
6. Give your belly a gently circular massage starting from the bottom to upwards. That will be your finishing touch. 

Benefits of Abdominal Massage For Constipation

1- Regulates Bowel Movement: This belly massage for constipation helps pass the stool without any discomfort and makes your bowels regular.  It eases the strain on the abdominal muscles and relaxes them. 

2- Improves Gut Health: It improves the overall health of the gut by excreting waste. This is equally healthy for adults but more common bowel or poop massage for constipation in newborns and younger children since they have a fragile stomach. 

Colon Massage For Easing Constipation

Constipation is one of the common problems in people who have had some surgery, especially C-section in women. Because they can’t move much after surgery, indigestion and constipation welcome them. That’s why post-surgical rehab services help in preventing such health issues.

Constipation massage would be helpful only if it relaxes the colon. That’s why you need to learn how to massage your colon. 

Colon Massage Direction

1. Lie down flat on the floor during this colon constipation massage. 
2. Make a fist and start stroking from the lower right side of the belly, and move your fist up to the right side of your ribcage. 
3. Move your fists to massage the belly left to right, underneath the rib cage and then lower left side of the abdomen. 
4. Finish the colonic massage for constipation with a final inward stroke towards the middle of the lower abdomen. 
5. Massage your abdomen by applying a little pressure from upward to downward. The technique would be similar to wood therapy massage, known for relaxing the muscles and eliminating the strain that might cause constipation. 

Benefits Of Colon Massage for Constipation 

Regulates the Bowels Movements: It is a primary bowel massage for constipation that helps in maintaining healthy bowel movement and relieving constipation. 

Improves Digestion: If you look at any colon massage diagram, you will see it impacts the entire intestinal system and relieves stomach pain. This is a healthy massage for bowel obstruction that improves digestion and regulates bowels. 

Reduce Bloating: This colon massage for bowel movement is helpful in reducing the bloating and easing a stomach ache that is usually caused by it. 

Stimulates The Blood Flow: As the saying goes ‘Your gut health is your overall well being.’ Colon constipation massage helps stimulate blood flow and excretes the toxins from the body which ultimately boosts the immune system.

How Lake County Physical Therapy Can Help You?

Maria-Viktoria Abvicka Longstreth, an old patient who was suffering from various health issues like bad immunity, mobility issues, constipation and digestion, came to us for massage therapy. Here is what she has to share in response.

“First,  I am much, much better than when I came here.  I did not expect to like my time here but the continued knowledge, professionalism, and so much friendly encouragement made my sessions here very enjoyable.  I learned, or rather re-learned, how to move and to trust my body.  Remembering the exercises when I was at home became my key to practicing and getting more mobility.  I’m definitely going to keep this up.”
You can always rely on our professional massage therapy team to ease the constipation and the overall gut health. Our professional therapists are qualified and experienced to assist you and hear your problems.

Written By

DR. Zubin

PT, DPT, FAAOMPT

Zubin has been a physical therapist for 31 years and is a founding member of this company. He specializes in Orthopedic Rehab and Chronic Pain management with a focus on Manual Therapy.