Rib flares are a common issue in women for a variety of reasons, but the far-reaching impacts they can create are shocking!

Because our whole body is so interconnected — when the ribs change position, so does our large intestine (or colon) which sits right under the ribs 🩻

Our colon get strung up from its top left & right corners by connective tissue & these corners attach right up underneath the bottom of our ribs 🪢

So depending upon our posture, these corners get pulled around into different positions, altering how wide the GI tract is for stool to move through ↱ ↴

Rib flares especially impact the position of the colon! When our ribs move up & out — they pull the top corners of our colon up & out too — this significantly narrows the passageway for stool to be transported 🚇

Developing a more stacked posture with proper core activation & trunk stability can help bring the ribs back underneath the pelvis for a more vertically aligned GI tract & a simpler pathway to navigate from entry to exit 🎢

In the meantime — having more specific techniques to weave in to your typical colon massage can be SUCH AN IMPACTFUL way to find symptom relief while we’re working on developing our long-term solution 🗒️

Showing patients how to move & listen to their colon by identifying their unique anatomy & landmarks helps them learn where they can make the most effective impact. The ribs are just one of my favorite spots to work on for better poops! 🛝

Check out more on Instagram @empower_pelvicfloorpt!