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September 2006

Abdominal Palpation ‑‑ Part 1

by Dr. Howard Loomis

Structure (anatomy) and function (physiology) cannot be separated. A deviation from normal in one has consequences in the other. Neurology is the study of the communication between the two. Put the three together and you have the foundation upon which the science of chiropractic is built.

Last month I described how to quickly and easily determine the structural side of weakness, and I began to equate that to abdominal palpation and determination of specific digestive inadequacies. This month I will further the presentation of the "Source of Stress Exam" and progress to determination of viscerosomatic stress points in the abdomen.

I believe it's imperative for the clinician to search for possible visceral causes of structural complaints such as muscle‑tension headaches, non‑traumatic shoulder symptoms, recurring low back pain, and chronic sacroiliac problems. It's all well and good to determine the side of the short leg and base your technique on that finding. But if the cause of the muscle contraction originates in a visceral organ that's stressed and not receiving adequate nutrition to meet demands or is producing excessive waste that isn't removed adequately, then the problem simply continues to occur and even progresses. Eventually, the patient and even the doctor become discouraged.

Digestive symptoms are vague, and Western medicine is unable or unwilling to perform tests that differentiate inadequate protein, carbohydrate, and lipid digestion. In other words, accurate diagnosis and treatment of symptoms and problems in this area is a wide‑open market in which you will find no competition.

Spinal Correlation to Abdominal Palpation

Examining the abdomen

Most physical diagnosis textbooks state that abdominal palpation is rather difficult because the organs are separated from the examining hand by a relatively thick muscular wall. For example, an enlarged spleen may only be palpable when the patient is lying on his or her right side. But it's precisely the contraction of these muscles we wish to identify. While muscular rigidity or "guarding" is one of the most important early signs of inflammation, it's also found in the muscles that share innervation with a dysfunctional visceral organ.

The process of correlating symptoms with palpation of abdominal stress points is an incredibly accurate diagnostic tool. For example, abdominal stress points may accompany such vague complaints as burning, fullness, bloating, swelling and gas. This diagnostic procedure can accurately pinpoint the stressed organ. Are the symptoms emanating from the stomach, biliary system, pancreas, or jejunum? Of course the involved stress points may be secondary to visceral disorders, such as peptic ulcer, intestinal parasites, dysentery, ulcerative colitis, diverticulosis, diverticulitis, and cholelithiasis.

One very easy procedure to incorporate into your basic office visit is to palpate for Pottenger's Saucer. It's a transitory loss of normal thoracic kyphosis due to muscle contraction related to low blood glucose levels and dietary and/or digestive inadequacy. The saucer usually involves three vertebral segments located between T5 and T8. The accompanying chart can be used to correlate spinal muscle contractions with visceral connections. This information is incredibly valuable when determining the cause of recurring and chronic loss of range of motion and spinal pain.

Next time, I'll begin to describe the various stress points located on the anterior of the body and their relationship to structure and function.

(Dr. Loomis can be reached by mail at 6421 Enterprise Lane, Madison,WI 53719 or by phone at 800‑662‑2630. Visit his website at http://www.loomisenzymes.com.)