End Bloating with 6 Key Exercises to Restore Abdomen

“It looks like I’m pregnant!” Marge exclaimed. Treated abdominal distention, bloating continued for over three years. “Every time I eat anything I immediately get bloating. My abdomen fills up and I can’t eat anymore. It gets so pushed-out that I feel like I’m nine-months pregnant! It’s frustrating… and very uncomfortable – I can’t eat anything!”

I think, “How odd that she has been ‘unable to eat anything for three years’ and has been on very restrictive diets, but she is overweight – she is still able to eat too much.” This tells me it isn’t a food sensitivity, infection, or intestinal problem. People who actually have intestinal problems lose weight when they can’t eat.

Abdominal bloating affects 10-30% of any population.[1] At some time in their lives, almost everyone will feel bloated. Many people experience the same type of bloating again and again. The standard answers from a gastroenterologist would tell us that bloating is due to one of the following conditions:[2]

Gas
Indigestion
Infection
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
Fluid retention
Food intolerances
Irritable bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Gastroparesis
Gynecological disorders
Constipation
Dehydration
Not enough or too much fiber in the diet
Food intolerance
Pregnancy
Nutrient deficiencies, including magnesium
Certain medicines
Gallstones or gallbladder disease
Ascites
Abdominal obesity

Each of these are very different illnesses and would need their own book to explain. But while each of these can have bloating associated with them, none of them are the main cause of abdominal distention after eating.

Nothing worked to teat Marge’s bloating. She went to multiple doctors, gastroenterologists, acupuncturists, herbalists, and naturopathic physicians, but was no better. She took antibiotics, vitamins and herbs of all types. One antibiotic for SIBO cost her almost a thousand dollars! She was so uncomfortable that she was willing to pay for it, but it didn’t help at all! She also tried many diets. She seemed to have mild relief from a limited carbohydrate diet called FODMAPS, which is an acronym for the types of sugars to avoid. But, after only a few weeks it came back just as strong while she was still on the diet.

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The Bloating Mystery Solved

Many years ago, the answer to this riddle was found, but has since gotten lost. It is not taught in medical schools, so gastroenterologists are not aware of it. In 1962 a general internist reported on 92 patients with bloating.[3] They were all found to have the same problem. They had many different treatments and surgeries, but none improved.

One woman was sure she was going to have a baby. The problem was, she was past menopause, and had no partner. She told the doctor that she was with child from the Holy Ghost, and insisted on going into the hospital so she could have the baby. She was very distressed when x-rays of her abdomen showed that she was not even pregnant. This is important because the doctor attributed her case of bloating to hysteria, her mental illness.

Many of these patients with severe bloating were so uncomfortable they went to the hospital for surgery. In those days there were no CT scans, so they had to cut the abdomen open to see what was inside, called an “exploratory laparotomy.” They were sure it must be something terrible. The surgeons did many of these procedures, but found nothing at all! There were no tumors, no gas in the bowel, no obstruction, no distended bowel, everything was normal! It was all a big mystery. Finally, the anesthesiologist noticed that as the patients went to sleep, their abdomens went down to normal, before the surgeon had even cut. This was the clue to the mystery.

Your Abdominal Canister

Your intestines are contained like a bag of snakes that allows them to move around freely, except for a couple of places where the blood vessels are attached. There is a set of muscles that surround the bag, suspending the contents, called the “abdominal canister.” On the bottom there are muscles of the pelvic floor which hold them up. In the back is the multifidus muscles along the spinal column. Around the sides are the transversus abdominis muscles that hold them in from the ribs to the front. On the top is the diaphragm, the same muscles that are used to breathe.[4]

If there is a rupture in any of these muscles, you get a hernia. The bag that holds the intestines, fat, and often some intestines, push outside of the abdomen. Since the food you eat must traverse every inch of the intestines to get out the other side, hernias can cause blockage of the intestines, and severe bloating — associated with vomiting and pain.

The Cause of Abdominal Distention

In the cases of exploratory laparotomy above, the anesthesiologist determined that the cause of the distention was muscle spasm, which relaxed when given. It was the only logical explanation. Interestingly, there is a normal reflex to maintain pressure in the abdomen by the abdominal canister muscles when eating. These muscles have specific reflexes during eating to help move things through the intestines, such as when you push to have a bowel movement.

The reason people get bloated every time they eat is not due to gas. The bloating is due to spasm[5] of the pelvic floor and diaphragm muscles, with relaxation of the multifidi in the back and transversus abdominis in the front, causing the belly to push out, making the person look and feel bloated. Since this is an abnormal muscle reflex to eating, it is not related to any specific type of food. Anything that causes the stomach to stretch could elicit this abnormal response – even plain water.

Though this abnormal muscle reflex has been known for many decades, it is still not taught or recognized in the medical system. Even functional medicine specialists or naturopathic practitioners have never heard of it. This is why Marge could find no help for her SIBO – she didn’t have SIBO! She had an abnormal abdominal canister reflex.

The normal reflex is for the pelvic floor and the diaphragm to relax to allow room for food in the stomach. While the transverse abdominis and multifidus contract to maintain pressure and hold everything in. What happens in abdominal bloating is just the opposite. You get spasms of the diaphragm and the pelvic floor, creating more pressure and pushing the contents of the abdomen out. You can purposely create this same abdominal distention when you take a deep breath with your diaphragm. The belly will push out and look and feel bloated.

How to Distinguish Abdominal Distention From Other Causes of Bloating

The other causes of bloating or abdominal distention noted above, such as SIBO, have different symptoms.[6]The characteristics of the abnormal abdominal canister reflex include:

Bloating comes almost immediately with eating
Can happen even when drinking plain water
No passing excessive gas
Uncomfortable, but not usually painful or tender
Intermittent – it comes with eating, but resolves completely between meals
No digestive problems like diarrhea or constipation
No fevers
No nausea or vomiting

Repairing the Abdominal Canister Reflex

While medical doctors are not aware of this cause of abdominal distention, physical therapists do know about it. Physical therapy to helped Mage her restore the normal abdominal canister reflex. Exercises helped her muscles respond normally.

Diaphragmatic breathing exercises
Pelvic floor exercises
Abdominal muscle exercises
Back exercises

These specific exercises regain control over the abdominal canister and restore the normal reflex so eating allows the diaphragm and pelvic floor to relax. While the transverse abdominis and multifidus muscles maintain support.

Diaphragmatic Breathing[7]

To breathe from your diaphragm, lie down on your back with your knees bent, and breathe as deeply as you can without letting your chest rise. If you have one hand on your chest, and the other on your abdomen, let the abdominal hand rise while the chest stays stable. Then, let all your air out, push the air out completely, allowing the diaphragm to relax. This can even be done after eating to relieve abdominal distention.

Pelvic Floor Exercises

Pelvic floor exercises are often recommended for women who have urinary incontinence. But they are also for men, especially if they have abdominal distention with eating.

Kegel exercises are for strength[8]

Locate your pelvic floor muscles which are the ones you squeeze to stop the flow of urine.
Tighten those muscles for three seconds, then relax for three seconds.
Repeat this 10 times for a full set.
Do one set three times per day.

The “happy baby” pose helps to relax the pelvic floor and stop distention[9]

Lie flat on your back
Bring your knees toward your chest at a 90-degree angle with your feet straight up
Reach up and hold on to your feet. Spread your knees apart.
Flex your heels into your hand and gently rock from side-to-side Remain in this position for several breaths, inhaling and exhaling deeply.

Abdominal Exercises[10]

Doing sit-ups is a great exercise for the abdominal muscles. Try doing them from side-to-side (touching your left knee with your right elbow, and vice-versa). One exercise that specifically targets the abdominal canister is the “dead bug.”

Dead Bug

Lie on your back with your arms extended up toward the ceiling and your knees bent.
Straighten your left leg and lower your right arm to reach behind your head, parallel to the floor. Do not let your arms or legs touch the ground — keep them around 6 inches from the ground.
Hold for about 10 seconds, or as long as you can.
Return your arm and leg to the starting position and alternate sides.

Back Exercises

Planks

Get into “push-up position” with your arms extended.
Hold for as long as you can.

After only a few visits with the physical therapist, and doing her daily exercises at home, Marge was back to normal. She no longer had any abdominal distention, bloating, or discomfort with eating. And the best thing, she could eat anything she wanted.

6 Easy Exercises to Restore Abdomen and End Bloating

The Bloating Mystery Solved

Your Abdominal Canister

The Cause of Abdominal Distention

How to Distinguish Abdominal Distention From Other Causes of Bloating