Why Abdominal Massage?

By Carol Wiley, LMP

See all Articles by Carol WileySee Carol Wiley's Expert PageGet Updates on Massage and Massage TherapyGet Updates on Carol Wiley

Why include abdominal massage as part of your massage session? You have four layers of muscles in your abdomen, and that doesn't include the diaphragm, which lies directly under the rib cage, or the psoas, which lies under those four muscle layers (rectus abdominis, external obliques, internal obliques, and tranverse abdominis).

Abdominal muscles get tense too! In fact, tense muscles in the abdomen can contribute to back pain and to problems with organs (stomach, colon, small intestine, liver, pancreas, and gall bladder).

Massaging the abdomen can improve blood circulation, help open the abdominal cavity, and release the fascia so the organs can lay unrestricted in their natural positions in the abdominal cavity.

Basic Swedish massage training does include ab massage, but because so few people have had their abdomens massaged, many massage therapists do not offer abdominal massage as part of their usual massage. You may have to ask your massage therapist specifically about abdomen massage.

In addition to Swedish massage, two specialty massage techniques focus on the abdomen:

• Maya Abdominal Massage guides internal abdominal organs into their proper position for optimum health. The technique relieves congestion and blockages to improve the flow of chi and fluids of the circulatory, lymphatic, and nervous systems.
• Chi Nei Tsang practitioners work mainly in the abdominal area with deep, soft and gentle manual techniques in order to tonify, detoxify, and train the internal organs to work more efficiently.

Abdominal massage can potentially help digestive problems (including irritable bowel syndrome), constipation, and female reproductive problems. Of course, if you have a medical condition, always check first with your primary healthcare practitioner to make sure massage is appropriate.