VIDEO: Colon Massage to Improve Bowel Mobility

May 11, 2021

Medical Reviewer: Jillian Miller, PT, DPT

Last Updated: June 2, 2022

Video Transcript

Welcome to the Brooks Rehabilitation pelvic health education series on constipation.

In this video, I’m going to show you a self colon massage. This should be completed about 20 minutes prior to a bowel movement. We’re going to follow the path of this diagram, which is the natural path of the colon.

So we’re going to start on the bottom right side of the abdomen, move upward towards the rib cage, across, down, and inward.

Okay, so we’re going to start with these sweeping strokes. Of course, you’re going to be on your back, and you’re just going to sweep from the bottom side of the right abdomen, all the way up towards the ribcage, across, down, and inward, just like this, five to seven times.

And then we’re going to switch to a scooping C-shaped stroke, again, bottom right side, moderate pressure, you’re scooping upwards three to five times. And we’re going to do three
to five of these strokes in each of those five positions that we showed.

So now, we’re going to go just under the rib cage three to five times, across to the other side, three to five times, bottom left side, three to five, a little
bit inward, like so.

The entire massage should take about five to seven minutes.

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Medical Reviewer

Jillian Miller, PT, DPT

Physical Therapist, Women's Health Resident - Brooks Rehabilitation Ormond Beach Outpatient Clinic

Jillian Miller is a Physical Therapist at the Brooks Halifax, Ormond Beach clinic. She received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of St. Augustine and is originally from Ormond Beach. She has practiced as a Physical Therapist with Brooks Rehabilitation for more than three years treating a variety of pelvic health, oncological, neurological and orthopedic conditions. Her passion is working with individuals faced with pelvic health conditions such as urinary or fecal incontinence, chronic pelvic pain, and sexual dysfunction as well as lymphedema. As a Women's Health Resident, Miller is advancing her education and is currently seeking a Board Certification in Women's Health.