BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Abdominal pain secondary to functional chronic intestinal constipation (FCIC) affects a substantial number of people, especially females. This study aimed at evaluating the efficacy of manual visceral therapy in patients of a Pain Clinic to confirm this intervention as a tool to improve constipation and increase lumbar motility and, as a consequence, better quality of life (QL). METHOD: This is a clinical trial with convenience sample of 20 patients complaining of intestinal function changes and lumbar vertebral motility restriction. Bio-socio-demographic characteristics were analyzed and the Rome III Criteria questionnaire, Shöeber test, middle finger to floor test and quality of life inventory SF-36 were used to evaluate constipation, lumbar mobility and QL, respectively, before and after receiving manual visceral therapy (MVT). RESULTS: Patients, especially females, mean age of 38.42 ± 19.23, had significant improvement between evaluation and reevaluation, in four SF-36 domains (functional capacity, pain, general health and vitality - p < 0.05) and improvement of intestinal constipation and lumbar mobility. CONCLUSION: MVT proposed and applied to individuals with chronic abdominal pain secondary to FCIC in this study was able to improve intestinal constipation and lumbar mobility, in addition to QL of participants.
Abdominal pain; Musculoskeletal manipulations
