Abdominal Pain

Abdominal Pain

There are many different things that can cause abdominal pain. 

Some abdominal pain is related to inflammation. Acute transient conditions such as food poisoning or even just eating extremely spicy food may cause severe abdominal pain. For people with Celiac Disease, gluten or other food sensitivities, eating the wrong foods can certainly cause a flare-up of abdominal pain. Chronic auto-immune conditions such as Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis can cause constant discomfort with disabling bouts of severe abdominal pain. And other conditions such as diverticulitis may go unrecognized for many years, then suddenly cause symptoms requiring hospitalization, aggressive anti-biotic treatment, or even surgery.

Other causes of abdominal pain may be more mechanical in nature. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is the classic example of this. This condition used to be called “Spastic Bowel” because it is characterized by mechanical dysfunction in what is supposed to be the smooth, coordinated wave-like contractions of the colon that propel the contents along the digestive tract. In IBS, those wave-like contractions become disorganized, resulting in spastic contractions in some areas and dilation and swelling in others. IBS is also known to have an association with mental and emotional stress.

Mechanical abdominal problems typically respond well to Visceral Manipulation. The reduction in pain can have a profound impact in helping to lower stress levels, further improving quality of life. Many cases of chronic inflammatory conditions will also show significant improvement, enough to make a meaningful improvement in quality of life. By gently promoting normal tissue mobility, we can increase local circulation which can result in decreased inflammation and therefore, reduced pain.

If you are struggling with stomach or abdominal pain, please call us. You may be one of the many people who get relief from Visceral Manipulation.