Comparisons between Manual Lymph Drainage, Abdominal Massage, and Electrical Stimulation on Functional Constipation...

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Physiotherapy
• Autonomic Nervous System Research

Background:

• Functional constipation (FC) is often treated with abdominal massage (AM) or electrical stimulation (ES).
• Manual lymph drainage (MLD) is a potential therapeutic option for FC but has not been previously compared to AM or ES.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare the efficacy of Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD), Abdominal Massage (AM), and Electrical Stimulation (ES) in treating functional constipation.
• To assess the impact of these interventions on autonomic nervous system (ANS) outcomes, psychological factors, and bowel function.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 52 participants (16 males, 36 females) assigned to MLD, AM, or ES groups.
• Autonomic nervous system (ANS) outcomes were measured using heart rate variability (HRV).
• Psychological factors (anxiety, stress) and bowel function (frequency, duration) were assessed using validated questionnaires and daily logs.

Main Results:

• MLD significantly improved all ANS measures (p≤0.01). AM and ES showed significant improvements in specific ANS parameters (p≤0.04).
• Stress response inventory (SRI) scores significantly improved across all groups (p<0.01). Bowel movement duration (BMD) improved significantly in all groups (p≤0.02).
• Bowel movement frequency (BMF) improved significantly following MLD and AM (p<0.1), with MLD demonstrating superior overall FC symptom reduction compared to AM and ES.

Conclusions:

• Manual lymph drainage (MLD) is a highly effective treatment for functional constipation (FC), yielding significant improvements in ANS function and bowel symptoms.
• MLD demonstrated superior efficacy in reducing FC symptoms compared to both abdominal massage (AM) and electrical stimulation (ES).
• MLD represents a promising therapeutic approach for managing functional constipation.