Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome, also known as IBS, is a condition that affects the motility of the colon. This means that the person who has the condition will have periods where they have constipation or diarrhea. These symptoms become worse when certain foods are eaten, there is an increase in stress and anxiety, and can happen during periods of depression.
Everyone who is affected by this condition will either have more instances with constipation and less frequent diarrhea episodes, whereas others will be the opposite. With this condition, there is usually nothing that is the true cause of the condition.
When it comes to massage, this condition is only temporarily treated, as this is a continual condition that is not cured. Only symptoms are treated, which will help decrease the frequency of episodes. When in a constipated stage, the treatment is the same as in constipation treatments, along with relaxation techniques to help with decreasing stress and anxiety. If you are in a diarrhea stage, especially if diarrhea is severe, massage is not done. If diarrhea is mild, or you don’t have to suddenly run to the bathroom (having watery stool, but not what is known as explosive diarrhea, where you have no warning of onset), then only abdominal massage is not allowed during this time. In this case, only relaxation massage is performed, to help with decreasing stress and anxiety.
Irritable Bowel Disease
Irritable bowel disease or IBD refers to 2 conditions: Crohn’s disease, which causes ulcerative lesions on any part of the gastrointestinal tract, but most commonly affects the small intestine. These ulcerative lesions cause scarring and thickening of the bowel, which can lead to abscesses. The other condition is Ulcerative colitis, which affects the left portion of the large intestine and rectum, causing ulcerations in the mucosa.
Both of these conditions can cause bleeding but are more apparent in ulcerative colitis. Along with bleeding, there is usually abdominal pain and weight loss. For ulcerative colitis, there will also be nausea and vomiting involved in weight loss, whereas for Crohn’s disease, weight loss is due to diarrhea, low-grade fevers, and nutritional deficiencies.
For these types of conditions, they have been linked to a family history of the condition and flare-ups in the conditions can be caused by periods of extreme stress.
During a massage, deep work to the abdomen and the low back are not done to make sure that it doesn’t affect the ulcerations in the gastrointestinal tract. Instead, massage is used to help relax the body so flare-ups, and symptoms don’t become worse. This is only used as a way to manage the discomfort of the condition, not a way of treating the condition itself. This condition can be treated with a nutritionist or naturopath if nutritional deficiencies arise, but surgery may also be needed in severe cases