Stomach pain can be caused by excess gas, undigested food, stress, eating too much food, eating too quickly, food poisoning, or certain digestive disorders, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.
There is also a connection between the spine and one’s bowels. A nerve misalignment in the lumbar and thoracic areas of the spine can cause a cyclical and chaotic “storm” that impacts the gastrointestinal system.
The end result is acute or chronic stomach pain, depending on the extent of the misalignment. The good news is that a chiropractor can realign your spinal system via a thorough but gentle massage.
By doing so, the nerves in your spinal column will be able to relax, while also functioning optimally in the process. Here, our focus will be on how chiropractic treatments can help improve digestive and gastrointestinal disorders.
What are the signs and symptoms of gastrointestinal problems?
A lack of appetite is a serious red flag, especially if it is persistent. As well, you may notice a strong and frequent urge to go to the bathroom. You may also have trouble evacuating your bowels in some cases.
The opposite may occur, as some patients may suffer from acute or chronic diarrhea, regardless of how little or how much they eat, or even what they eat. Burning stools, hemorrhoids, or mucus around your stools should be investigated via a colonoscopy.
Blood in the stool is also something that should not be taken lightly. In some cases, the cause may be an anal fissure or hemmorids. In more serious cases, the blood may be caused by an intestinal parasite or colon cancer.
Chronic fatigue is common with many gastrointestinal problems, as the patient may be suffering from poor nutrition and inadequate nutritional absorption. Bloating, frequent and foul-smelling flatulence and intense stomach cramps should also be investigated by your doctor.
How are the nervous and digestive systems connected?
The spine is directly connected to the digestive system. For instance, the lumbar and thoracic regions of the spine help regulate the speed of food degradation and digestion. As such, a misalignment in your spinal vertebrae may cause the lumbar and thoracic signals to misfire.
Many lower back issues will prevent the signals from reaching the brain, leading to stomach pain and other digestive problems.
Subluxation is the medical term used to describe a slight vertebral misalignment. Subluxation makes it difficult for the patient to absorb the nutrients, minerals, and vitamins that they need from the foods they eat.
The end result is malnutrition, fatigue, weight loss, and a bevy of other digestive ailments. In sum, a healthy spine is needed in order to enjoy optimal digestive health. Given the fact that the nervous system and digestive system are connected, every nerve in the spine can have an impact on one’s digestive health.
How can a chiropractor help you with gastrointestinal digestive issues?
A chiropractor will use advanced manipulation techniques to correct the spinal misalignments in your vertebrae. They may perform the guiding and rectifications manually, or they may utilize state-of-the-art chiropractic tools in order to achieve the desired result.
The goal is to optimize your nervous system so that it fires on all cylinders. If performed successfully, you will notice an alleviation in the stomach pain that you are experiencing.
You may also notice a reduction in the pain that you are experiencing in other parts of your body. Chiropractic health care serves as a holistic approach to medicine that does not involve the use of powerful painkillers or invasive operations.
Instead, the existing healing properties of the human body are activated and optimized in order to accelerate the healing process. You won’t need to take any medications that may carry unpleasant side effects or deal with intense pain and complications from surgery when you work with a qualified chiropractor.
If you are currently suffering from chronic or acute stomach pain, bloating, heartburn, acid reflux, incontinence, diarrhea, constipation, rectal bleeding, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), or hemorrhoids, then your family doctor may refer you to a chiropractor in some cases in order to ease your symptoms.
Chiropractors focus on identifying the root cause of the problem. They do not provide band-aid solutions that simply mask symptoms without actually eliminating the actual problem itself.
A chiropractor will relieve the pressure that you are experiencing in your joints, muscles, and nerves. They will attempt to ameliorate the alignment of your spinal column via leading-edge spinal mobilization and manipulation techniques.
For instance, they may perform gentle and slow movements to achieve the desired results. Or, they may carry out rapid and strong thrusts instead in order to realign your misaligned spinal vertebrae. The therapeutic modalities that your chiropractor employs will depend on the cause of your digestive problems as well as the severity of your digestive symptoms.
They will go over your medical history and discuss your condition with you in great detail before they devise your unique treatment program and chiropractic adjustments to help relieve and treat your ailment.
Help is Available
Your chiropractor may work on fixing your herniated discs in order to eliminate symptoms that are commonly associated with irritable bowel syndrome. The nerves in the abdominal and chest areas of your spine are actually connected to your digestive system.
A misalignment of the thoracic vertebrae may also cause a myriad of digestive issues including, but not limited to, gas, heartburn, and bloating. A misaligned thoracic vertebrae will usually cause erratic impulses to be sent to your intestines and your stomach, which can be very painful and debilitating.
Your chiropractor will ensure that your thoracic spine will not have to deal with nerve interference anymore, thus helping to promote optimal digestive functionality and healing. Currently, nearly 100 million people suffer from gastrointestinal problems in North America alone.
If you are currently dealing with digestive issues that are preventing you from enjoying a normal quality of life, then working closely with a chiropractor may help you obtain the relief that you need and deserve.
