The effect of abdominal massage on bowel function in patients with spinal cord injury.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of abdominal massage on clinical aspects of bowel dysfunction and colonic transit time in patients with spinal cord injury. Twenty-four patients were placed on a standard bowel program (phase I), after which abdominal massage was added to the regimen (phase II). Parameters of gastrointestinal system function and colonic transit times were evaluated.


METHODS
Uncontrolled clinical study.


RESULTS
Eleven (45.8%) of the 24 patients had abdominal distention, and 10 (41.7%) had fecal incontinence in phase I; corresponding results for phase II were three (12.5%) and four (16.7%) (P = 0.008 and 0.031, respectively). There were no significant differences between the proportions of patients with difficult intestinal evacuation or abdominal pain or in mean time required for bowel evacuation in phase I vs. phase II. The mean frequencies of defecation in phases I and II were 3.79 +/- 2.15 (2.75-4.55) and 4.61 +/- 2.17 (3.67-5.54) bowel movements per week, respectively (P = 0.006). Mean total colonic transit time decreased from 90.60 +/- 32.67 (75.87-110.47) hrs in phase I to 72 +/- 34.10 (58.49-94.40) hrs in phase II (P = 0.035).


CONCLUSIONS
Abdominal massage has positive effects on some clinical aspects of neurogenic bowel dysfunction in patients with spinal cord injury.
Ayaş
Sehri
S
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Başkent University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey.
Leblebici
Berrin
B
Sözay
Seyhan
S
Bayramoğlu
Meral
M
Niron
Emin Alp
EA
D000005:Abdomen; D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D003248:Constipation / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D003672:Defecation; D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005414:Flatulence / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*