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What is Abdominal Massage?


The abdomen is one of the most delicate and vital areas of the human body. It houses many important organs such as the stomach, diaphragm, colon, small intestine, liver, pancreas, and gall bladder. Traditional systems of medicine tell us that the abdomen is the powerhouse of the body and that all ailments result from an imbalance in the abdominal area.

Modern medical science also supports this theory. In a healthy person, there is a continuous muscular contraction of the alimentary canal every twenty seconds. These contractions push food through the stomach and into the intestines, and also aid the process of excretion. When these contractions do not occur in a rhythmic manner, the process of digestion is delayed. This can lead to numerous disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, constipation, flatulence and spastic colon. When the digestive process slows down, the body does not receive sufficient nutrition and other parts of the body may be affected.

The abdominal muscles also work in conjunction with the back muscles to help keep the spine erect. Any weakness in them can lead to chronic back ache, as the muscles of the back get overstressed from sharing the majority of the load.

In case of women, the reproductive organs are also located in the abdominal area. Any disorders in the abdomen can lead to problems such as painful menstruation, difficult menopause, and infection. It can cause miscarriages or premature birth in pregnant mothers.

Abdominal massage is a special kind of massage that seeks to alleviate all these problems associated with the abdomen by keeping the abdominal area healthy and strong, and promoting proper functioning of the organs inside the abdominal cavity. An abdominal massage focuses on applying direct pressure on the organs located within the abdominal cavity to stimulate and promote their functioning.

However such an ab massage must be done only by an expert and pressure applied must be gentle so that no internal organs are harmed in the process.

How Does Abdominal Massage Work?

Abdominal massage is a highly specialized form of massage. In this massage technique, the patient is made to lie on his or her back with knees drawn up. The therapist then uses his hands and fingers to gently knead the abdominal areas with gentle strokes.

In a typical stomach muscle massage for constipation, the therapist makes circular strokes on the abdomen focusing on the colon area to aid in the movement of bowels. The therapist may even use an ab massage belt for this purpose. Patients may also be advised to practice other gentle exercises to increase abdominal muscle strength as part of their massage therapy for abdominal muscles.

What Are The Benefits Of Abdominal Massage?

Abdominal massage strengthens the abdominal muscles and helps in relieving back pain. This kind of an ab massage works on toning the abdominal muscles and also helps in eliminating toxins from the body. Therefore these massages are very beneficial to people suffering from constipation.The main aim of an abdominal massage for constipation is to stimulate the peristalsis waves in the intestines to throw out the stationary fecal matter. Abdominal massage also stimulates blood flow to all the vital organs in the abdominal cavity, and improves their functioning.

Many people complain of abdominal cramps on accounts of irritable bowel syndrome, menstrual cycles, endometriosis or colitis. Taking an abdominal massage for cramps can help relieve the pain caused in these conditions. This kind of a massage would focus mainly on the periumbilical region which is close to the navel. The abdominal massage technique employed in this case would involve clockwise massage strokes on the area just above the navel for at least 30 seconds at a time. This type of ab massage therapy is very helpful in easing abdominal cramps. Back muscles and abdominal muscles work in co-ordination to keep the spine straight and any weakness in these muscles can result in severe back pain. An abdominal massage therapy helps in relieving back pain by strengthening the various muscle groups in the abdominal region. Thus many people would massage the abdomen to relieve the back pain.

Therefore some of the main abdominal massage benefits include back pain relief, stronger abdominal muscles, proper functioning of the intestines, promoting digestion and regulating metabolism. These massages help in increasing the blood supply to all organs in the abdominal region and improve their performance.


Ab Massage And Spa

These days the concept of an ab massage and spa has become very popular for this very reason and a number of ab massage training centers have come up all across the globe. In addition to this, many massage related products including ab sonic electronic massage belts are also making high sales and are in great demand. It is important to keep in mind that a massage therapy for abdominal muscles should never be done for a person on a full stomach or a full bladder. Furthermore such massages should not be given to people with hernia problems, kidney stones, stomach or intestinal ulcers, ovarian or fallopian tube problems and pregnant women.


Abdominal Massage And Fertility

There is a known co-relation between abdominal massage and fertility. Internal organs, including the reproductive organs, can be repositioned using abdominal massages. The Mayan abdominal massage for fertility has been specially designed for women who have problems like a dislocated or low uterus. This massage technique aims at repositioning the uterus to its original location and also helps ease the psychological and physical symptoms of the patient. A dislocated uterus can block blood flow to other vessels and organs in the body and repositioning it can not only solve this problem but also help in flushing toxins from the body and balancing hormones. Mayan abdominal massages can be given by trained therapists or can even be performed at home with the help of Mayan abdominal massage videos. These massages are a great help in curing fertility problems and can even benefit men who have prostrate problems and erectile dysfunction.

Does abdominal massage cause miscarriages? On one hand abdominal massages are practiced to solve fertility issues while on the other hand there are some people who use abdominal massage techniques to abort a pregnancy. Despite the fact that such techniques are illegal in most parts of the world, there are many people who practice such massage techniques to induce a miscarriage. Women who are pregnant may also be scared of getting an abdominal massage as it could affect the baby inside the womb. It is therefore very necessary that you always seek assistance from your doctor, if planning a massage during pregnancy. Using massage therapy to induce a miscarriage can be very dangerous and also prove to be fatal; they could even cause internal hemorrhages. It is necessary that you go to a trained and professional massage therapist for an effective abdominal massage, especially when you are pregnant, as it would benefit both you and your baby that is in your womb. However remember to speak to your doctor to find out till how long should you continue with the massage.


Such massages however should always be undertaken in consultation with a doctor.

Submitted on June 29, 2011
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