Chiropractic therapy is credited with helping a wide variety of conditions and disorders, but can it really help something as common and supposedly simple as constipation? Although most people will experience constipation for only a few days at a time, others live with constipation for months or even years, and nothing seems to fix the problem. If you have been suffering from chronic constipation for some time and traditional medicine isn't helping, walking through these four steps with your local chiropractor could finally get things moving. 

Ruling Out the Easy Solutions

Before you begin treatment for constipation with your chiropractor, he or she will likely want to learn about your lifestyle and dietary habits. Combining your therapy with moderate exercise and a high-fiber diet is more likely to jump start the process and produce sustainable results. Your chiropractor may recommend specific foods such as blueberries or whole-wheat bread and show you specially designed stretches to strengthen and loosen up your abdominal muscles. 

Improving Your Posture and Gait

When most people think of chiropractors, they only think about adjustments and massage. But your chiropractor can also work with you to improve your posture and help you walk more efficiently, improving the overall flow of food through your body and gradually strengthening the core muscles that are also partially responsible for stimulating bowel movements. Part of this training may include chiropractic adjustment to relieve any aches or stiff joints, but it may also be as simple as showing you how you are standing and then practicing a better position.  

Prompting Movement Through Massage

Chiropractors are also typically trained in the art of chiropractic massage, which seeks to realign your body through sustained, gentle pressure. As you can imagine, this technique can be very beneficial for sufferers of chronic constipation. Sometimes, when your body refuses to do the work for you or your bowels are too compacted to make progress, a soothing massage is all you need to begin pushing things in the right direction. 

Stimulating Your Intestines

The theory of chiropractic therapy is based on the premise that your body and its nervous system are intimately connected, and that even minor alterations to one can have significant impacts on the other. Often, cases of chronic constipation are made worse by weak signal from the nerves in your small intestine, which are responsible for detecting the presence of waste and ordering your brain to initiate movement. A chiropractor seeks to correct this imbalance by improving communication between your nervous system and your brain, typically through a series of spinal adjustments, particularly in the lower back when constipation is involved. If you are sick of living with constipation, call your local chiropractor to schedule an initial exam and begin relieving your symptoms today.  

Click here to learn more about chiropractic care. 

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