In this month’s previous blogs we examined the importance of the abdomen and digestion. Specifically, how important the abdominal area is in Traditional Chinese Medicine and how to better fill it with delicious alternatives to summer fare so we can stay healthy and strong. Andrea mentioned how Spleen Qi is in charge of digestion, and Mandy gave us some internal ways to maintain our health over the summer with food options. Moving away from digestion, we’re now going to look into the muscles of the abdominal area to examine how they influence your health inside and out.
Your abdominal musculature is amazing! It’s involved with so many aspects of your anatomy and physiology, it’s no wonder so many ancient medicines invest substantial energy into keeping this area strong. Abdominal muscles are crucial for movement, posture, and balance – and it’s not just those “6 pack” muscles (the rectus abdominis). You actually have multiple layers of muscles in the abdominal area with fibers that stretch in all different directions so you can stay supported in all your movements, whether it’s bending forward/backward, side to side, or rotations/twists. Other muscles act to support and stabilize your trunk while you walk, stand, sit, or lie down (these are the infamous “core stabilizers). At the end of the day, ALL of these muscles need some love, especially after all those core workouts we know you’ve been doing to get summer-ready. Anyway, like your other skeletal muscles, they can become tight, or sore and as we know, massage helps to relieve soreness by increasing circulation to the affected area.
Increased circulation brings nutrients and oxygen to muscle tissue to help alleviate the soreness and tightness. Not only do these muscles help you move, they provide the space and foundation for almost all of your internal organs, specifically the ones involved with digestion. As you can see in the image, there are a lot of important organs in this area, and it is important to keep each of them healthy.
Now, I’m going to expand on the benefits of abdominal massage. Most people do not realize that receiving abdominal massage is even possible, but getting an abdominal massage can be an incredibly relaxing and therapeutic portion of your therapy, offering benefits for both your abdominal musculature and digestion/metabolism When you receive abdominal work, you lie face up on the massage table; your chest remains draped while your abdomen is uncovered. Your therapist utilizes a variety of techniques designed to increase the circulation of blood to the abdominal area. And as we know, when there is increased circulation there is a concurrent increase in nutrient and waste exchange at the cellular level, which allows for better organ functionality. Additionally, abdominal massages can relax the many muscles groups of your core, which can be therapeutic for core stabilization and other core movements.
Abdominal massage is also great for enhancing digestion. As I’m sure we’ve all personally experienced, sometimes things slow down and we end up feeling “blah”, heavy, lethargic, and even bloated. Abdominal massage is a way to get things moving again, and when there is movement in the body, we feel better. There are techniques that work to stimulate the natural digestive process called peristalsis, which is responsible for our gut motility (how well we push the bits through our colon). Peristalsis occurs throughout the digestive system but is most prevalent in the large intestine. Massage techniques that follow the natural path of peristalsis along the colon and may assist with relieving constipation. When our bodies digest food easily, we just feel better, even lighter (no pun intended)!
The abdomen is also the source of a large nerve plexus; a nerve plexus is an area where our nerves come together. The abdominal nerve plexus is called the solar plexus and it is vital to our digestive organs. Abdominal massage allows for organs and muscle to unstick from each other, creating space for our nerves to exist without compression, thereby allowing for improved transmission of nerve impulses.
Receiving abdominal massage is relaxing and beneficial. If you have not experienced abdominal massage before, Mandy and Mary Pat will be happy to discuss it with you and make sure your abdomen gets the attention it deserves.
Brought to you with Love,
Mary Pat Curran, LMT
