Digestive Issues
These Symptoms May Be Hard to Discuss–But Treatment is Available!
Everyone has digestive problems occasionally. It might stem from a virus or from eating something that just didn’t agree with us. But what happens when your digestive issues linger for months? While there are several potential causes, a surprising one is your pelvic floor.
We often associate the pelvic floor with sexual health or bladder issues. However, the pelvic floor also supports the bowels, and an impaired pelvic floor can impact your body’s digestive processes.
To illustrate this point, we want to share Ana’s story and explore how pelvic floor physical therapy at (practice name) helped resolve her digestive problems.
Meet the Patient: Ana
Ana came to us when she was having severe constipation, with her bowel movements only occurring every few days. Her constipation had led to anal fissures–small tears in the anal passage.
She had also begun to develop hemorrhoids, which are swollen veins in the anus and lower rectum. They can cause several uncomfortable symptoms, including pain, itching, swelling, and bleeding.
Our First Step: Patient Education
The first thing we focused on was Ana’s bowel movements. She assumed it was typical to have a bowel movement every few days, but that’s not actually the case! If you’re eating every day (as Ana was), then you’ll need to have daily bowel movements.
With that in mind, we began working to get Ana back on a regular schedule.
Up Next: The Power of Manual Therapy
Manual therapy refers to several techniques that take a hands-on approach to healing. These techniques involve Aligning the joints, organs muscles, and fascial tissues for therapeutic effect.
We began Ana’s treatment with the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy (usually shortened to ATMAT or the Arvigo abdominal therapy). This approach is a gentle, external abdominal massage that carefully repositions the digestive and reproductive organs. The process boosts blood circulation through improved venous arterial ,endocrine and lymph flow, helping to alleviate constipation. Along with this we practised whole body approach of John Barnes Myofascial Release to help reduce chances of constipation coming back and gave her some self help tools to continue practicing .
To supplement the work we were doing in the clinic, we showed Ana some simple abdominal massage techniques she could do at home.
We also worked with Ana to address some dysfunction in her pelvic floor muscles. Additional manual therapy techniques and targeted exercises helped improve her pelvic floor health.
What Happened Next?
As Ana progressed through her treatment, she began experiencing daily bowel movements, effectively resolving her constipation. And with her constipation resolved, her anal fissures and developing hemorrhoids both began healing.
Perhaps most importantly, Ana felt a renewed sense of energy once her digestive system began working properly. She’s now much more active than before, showing just how important it is to have a healthy, functioning digestive system!
Are you struggling with digestive issues? Pelvic floor physical therapy at (practice name)’s (town) clinic could be the simple, noninvasive solution you’re looking for! Schedule an appointment with us today to learn more.