Physical therapists are not typically the first medical professional that comes to mind when you think of digestive and other gastrointestinal disorders. The fact of the matter is that physical therapists are capable of helping you with various types of digestive issues. It is still important that you work with a nutritionist or doctor to fix your diet but a physical therapist can aid greatly in relieving pain.
Digestive Conditions That Physical Therapy Can Help Treat
Not every single condition can be treated with a physical therapist. Here are a few of the most common conditions that affect the gastrointestinal systems that are capable of being treated with physical therapy.
Abdominal Distention
Abdominal distention is more commonly known as bloating. There are a few reasons that it can occur with the most common being overeating. With digestive disorders, the expansion of the stomach can occur erroneously causing the stomach to contract rather than expand quality. Physical therapists can target this with biofeedback techniques.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS
Irritable bowel syndrome has a wide range of symptoms. One of the most common symptoms is constipation. Physical therapists can assist you by applying various massage techniques to the muscles of the pelvic floor to help relax the area. Biofeedback can also help teach the muscles of the pelvic floor to relax whenever you need to use the bathroom. There are also breathing techniques that are used during physical therapy that can help assist with more comfortable bowel movements.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD
This condition is known by most people as acid reflux. It occurs whenever a portion of the stomach is pushed up through the diaphragm. This causes the esophagus to have a bit of a leak. Because there is a leak in the esophagus stomach acid can move freely into the throat where it can be painful. A physical therapist can help treat the body by applying massage technics and other forms of physical manipulation to help reposition the stomach within the body.
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth or SIBO
This is a gastrointestinal condition that most commonly occurs after surgeries or whenever the valves of the small intestine malfunction. It causes bacteria to build up and it can be a very serious condition. Physical therapists can help the small intestine so that everything flows through properly.
A Few Tips On Finding A Good Physical Therapist
Even though physical therapists are capable of assisting patients who are suffering from digestive or other gastrointestinal issues that do not mean that all physical therapists. An equally good job. You definitely want to make sure that whichever doctor you end up working with has some experience with patients that suffer from similar conditions to yours. It will not do you very much good if the doctor has never worked with a patient that has a gastrointestinal issue. One of the easiest ways that you can figure out if they have experience with this is by looking at their website for giving their office a call and simply asking them if they have the experience that you are looking for.
