Abdominal Self Massage For Constipation, Abdominal Discomfort, and Bloating
Originally published: August 23, 2021 on girlsquadift.com / Updated October 13, 2026
One of the feelings I hate most, is when your pants fit perfectly in the morning, and then after lunch you’re sitting at your desk and they are digging into your skin uncomfortably. Having abdominal bloating is one of the most low-key uncomfortable experiences, in my own opinion, so if there is something that can help that or help my food move better, I do it.
I’ve dealt with bloating since college. After years of figuring out what works, one of my favorite tools is also the cheapest: abdominal self-massage. It takes about five minutes, costs nothing (I do use a bit of coconut oil I already have in the house), and I can do it in my pajamas. I tend to do most abdominal massage right before bed, but you can technically do it any time (although I would skip directly after eating).
Below are the two techniques I use, plus a plain-English explanation of why they help.
What This Video Helps With
Decreasing constipation, bloating, and general discomfort
Increasing gut motility (how well things move through)
Decreasing abdominal pain
Jump to the part you need
Why Your Gut Gets “Stuck”
Food moves through your digestive system in a wave-like pattern called peristalsis. Your intestines contract to push everything along, through the colon on the right side, across the top, down the left side, and out (that upside down “U” shape we talk about in the video).
When you’re dehydrated, bloated, or dealing with certain health conditions, those contractions can get sluggish. When things slow down, the muscles don’t get the signal to activate the way they should. A little manual help can get the process moving again (increase motility), which is where massage comes in.
I’m a physical therapist and athletic trainer, so I think about the abdominal area in the way I think about any tight, stuck, or sluggish muscle: sometimes it just needs a little help getting moving again.
Technique #1: The Upside-Down U
This one follows the path of your colon.
How to do it
Find your starting point. Lie on your back with your knees bent. Place one hand on top of the other on the lower right side of your belly, just inside your hip bone.
Make small circles. Use gentle, steady pressure and make mini circles in a counter-clockwise direction.
Move up the right side. Work upward along your ascending colon until you reach the bottom of your ribs on the right. About 3 to 4 circles per section is plenty.
Cross the belly. Go horizontally across your belly, about two finger widths above your belly button.
Head down the left side. Stop just before your ribs on the left, then travel down the left side of your belly.
Repeat 3 to 5 times. You’re drawing an upside-down U while making little counter-clockwise circles.
Pro tip: You may feel your organs shifting underneath as you go. That’s normal. Keep the pressure comfortable, not painful. You can use some lotion or oil, or you can do this one dry.
Technique #2: The Spiral
This one is softer and more relaxing, which makes it a great bedtime routine.
How to do it
Add a little oil. Rub a small amount of coconut oil on your belly. You don’t need much.
Start at your belly button. Place both hands side by side, with your fingertips resting on your skin.
Spiral outward, then back in. Move clockwise, drawing a wide spiral around your belly, then work your way back to smaller circles toward your belly button.
Keep it slow. Don’t rush. Think relaxed, not deep tissue.
Pro tip: Don’t do this right after you eat. Wait a while first. You can also do this on top of your clothing if you don’t have any oil or lotion.
My Favorite Time to Do It
I get my best results from technique #2 right before bed. When I wake up the next morning, my belly feels flatter and less bloated. It’s become part of my wind-down routine, like brushing my teeth.
When to Skip This and Call Your Doctor
Abdominal massage isn’t right for everyone. Skip it, and check with a healthcare provider first, if you:
Have severe or sudden abdominal pain
See blood in your stool
Have had recent abdominal surgery
Are pregnant
Have a diagnosed condition such as inflammatory bowel disease or a hernia
Also, if you’ve been bloated or constipated for weeks and nothing helps, it’s worth getting checked out rather than just trying more tricks. Massage is a helpful tool, but it’s not a substitute for figuring out what’s going on.
Note: abdominal bloating can be a sign of Ovarian Cancer.
Please note the signs & symptoms of Ovarian Cancer:
Persistent bloating
Feeling full quickly
Indigestion/heartburn
Changes in bowel
Shortness of breath
Abdominal pain
Please Note: Ovarian Cancer is NOT screened for in your pap smear (cervical cancer is) and can happen at ANY AGE (including in your 20s). If you have any/all of these signs and symptoms please bring them up to your doctor and request a pelvic ultrasound and a CA125 blood test.
For more information on ovarian cancer: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/ovarian-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/detection.html
In honor of my friend Brittany Crosby, who was a huge advocate for educating on the disease, as well as the growth of this video, I believe it's my duty to share information on Ovarian Cancer, as bloating CAN be an early sign. It can also be a symptom of other inflammatory diseases, so please, always bring up constant bloating symptoms to your doctor.
Want More Gut-Friendly Habits?
If you’re working on bloating, your daily coffee might be part of the picture too. Check out 5 Ways to Break Your Coffee Creamer Habit for easy swaps that are kinder to your gut and your wallet.
Try It Tonight and Tell Me How It Goes
Give one of these a try tonight, then leave a comment on the video in youtube and tell me how you feel in the morning. I read every one.
If you found this helpful, subscribe to Dr. Lauren Baker on YouTube so you can find it again, or send it to a friend who deals with the same thing.
-
today we're going to be teaching you an abdominal massage technique that can help you increase the mobility of your abdominal organs.
Food moves through your intestinal organs or your digestive system in a fashion called peristalsis. Your organs are contracting to push that fluid and waste through your descending colon on the left side of your body into your rectum and then out into the toilet and to the sewer.
What can happen though is through different disease processes or through bloating and dehydration, your organs can just decrease in their effectiveness and you can just get stuck and when you're stuck it may not really activate those muscles the way that they need to and so sometimes a massage technique can help that process.
You're gonna start at the bottom on the right side, right on the inside of your hip bone with your hands on top of each other and you're going to start doing mini circles in a counter clockwise direction.
You're gonna go up maybe about 3 or 4 circles on the right side you're gonna follow the ascending colon until your right kind of by the ribs so you're gonna be on the bottom part of your the ribs and you're gonna start going to the transverse colon so you're gonna go horizontally across the belly you're like two finger widths above the belly button and you're gonna go until you kind of reach the part of your ribs and you're just gonna kind of go down.
It’s actually a little bit before you hit the ribs and you'll feel kind of your organs underneath there and you can do this three to five times you just kind of keep going and again you’re gonna go up over down and an upside-down u-shaped that is the first massage technique.The second massage technique is the one where you're gonna want a little bit of coconut oil, you don't want a ton you're just gonna kind of rub it on your belly this one you're gonna start right around your belly button and you can do two hands all you kind of like to do two hands next to each other with my fingertips.
You’re gonna start and you're gonna go in the clockwise direction and you're gonna draw a spiral circle around your belly and you're gonna go wide and then you're gonna go small again you don’t want to do this right after you've eaten.I personally have really good results with this when I do it before going to bed and then in the morning, I feel really kind of thin and like my belly is less bloated.
Music from intro courtesy of: Campfire by Scandinavianz https://soundcloud.com/scandinavianz Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_campfire Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/9Rfykh-YzCc