Muscles, bones, nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissues are intimately involved structures within the body. Part of a surgeon’s challenge is to repair the structures in need without injuring nearby tissue. Even the best surgeons cannot prevent post-surgical adhesions and scars from forming as a natural part of post-surgical healing.

Adhesions are fibrous bands that form between tissues and organs, often as a result of injury during surgery. They may be thought of as internal scar tissue that connects tissues not normally connected.  Adhesions are tiny crosslinks that rush in to begin the repair process after  trauma, which creates scars that last a lifetime.
Adhesions form in three areas:

• tissues the surgeon cuts through to access the surgical site
• where the surgeon cuts, burns, or reattaches tissues that require surgical intervention
• nearby tissues injured by the surgery or inflamed after surgery.

 
Post-surgical adhesions can grow beyond the surgeon’s initial intent. These additional adhesions may bind neighboring structures that are designed to move independently. When that happens, the post-surgical adhesions and scars can create abnormal pulls in the body, often causing pain or dysfunction.

​What is Ileocecal Valve Syndrome?
When the ileocecal valve is stuck open waste products can back up into the small intestine, which is much like a backed up kitchen sink drain, disturbing your digestion and creating unhealthy toxins that are absorbed into the body. Also, if the ileocecal valve is stuck closed, waste products are prevented or constricted from passing into the large intestine. Unfortunately, this disorder is often overlooked by the medical profession. A dysfunctional ileocecal valve can result in a combination of symptoms.

What are the symptoms of Ileocecal Valve Syndrome?
Symptoms of Ileocal Valve Syndrome can vary widely, and include:

What causes Ileocecal Valve Syndrome?
Your emotions and dietary habits both play a role in this intestinal disorder. Poor dietary choices, such as too much crunchy food, and poor eating habits, such as not chewing well, can contribute to Ileocecal Valve Disorder. Caffeine and other food sensitivities can also play a role in disrupting the proper function of the Ileocecal Valve. Overall, the most common causes of Ileocecal Valve Disorder are diet, allergies, food sensitivities, bacterial overgrowth, and stress.

Other physical imbalances related to Ileocecal Valve Disorder are stomach ulcers, intestinal tumors, diabetes, pancreatitis, indigestion, anorexia/bulimia, hepatitis, cirrhosis, adrenal imbalances, arthritis, and colon diseases.

How is Ileocecal Valve Syndrome treated?
Treatment for Ileocecal Valve Syndrome requires a holistic approach. A thorough treatment plan will include:

• Visceral manipulations with one of our trained physical therapists
• Establishing proper eating habits; for example only eating when sitting down, eating slowly, and fully chewing food before swallowing
• Supplements for chronic cases

Dietary changes are also necessary in order to fully alleviate symptoms of Ileocecal Valve Syndrome. Some foods to avoid for 2 to 3 weeks include:

• Roughage foods: popcorn, nuts, potato chips, pretzels, seeds, whole grains
• Raw fruits and vegetables: celery, bell peppers, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes
• Spicy foods: chili powder, hot peppers, salsas, black and cayenne pepper, paprika, cloves, cinnamon
• Stimulants: liquors, alcoholic drinks, cocoa, chocolate, caffeine products

Things to consider if you have Ileocecal Valve Syndrome:
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1. Are you hydrated? Dehydration is a precursor to a stuck ileocecal valve. Make sure you drink plenty of water. 
2. Are you keeping your emotions in check? Emotions can make us sick to our stomachs and some people are especially susceptible to these stressors.
3. What are you eating? Limit or eliminate these foods from your diet: carbonated drinks, alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, raw foods, and hot spicy foods.
4. How do you eat? In addition to what you eat, keep a watch on what your consumption habits are. Are you overeating, eating too frequently, eating too quickly, eating foods you are sensitive to, under-chewing your food?

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TMJ dysfunction (TMD) is a class of disorders of the jaw joints that result in symptoms ranging from clicking or popping of the jaw with movement, to pain or limited range of motion.

In many TMD cases, the patient will complain of neck pain and headaches, difficulty eating or talking, ear pain or fullness, and in some cases vertigo, ringing of the ear or dizziness.
 
Researchers generally agree that these disorders fall into three main categories:
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1. Myofascial pain and discomfort in the muscles that control jaw function.
2. Internal derangement of the joint where the joint may have a displaced disc, dislocated jaw, or injury to the condyle.
3. Arthritis which refers to a group of degenerative/inflammatory joint disorders that can affect the TMJ.

A person may have one or more of these conditions at the same time. Some people have other health problems that co-exist with TMJ disorders, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep disturbances or fibromyalgia, a painful condition that affects muscles and other soft tissues throughout the body. These disorders share some common symptoms, which suggests that they may share similar underlying mechanisms of disease.

While many people are familiar with the idea of joint and muscle restrictions that cause tightness and discomfort, they are not as familiar with the idea that similar tensions or problems with the alignment of internal organs can cause discomfort or other irregularities simply because the ability of organs to move around is restricted.

Visceral manipulations are skilled movements that release fascial restrictions to encourage normal movement of internal organs. As you'll see in the article, there are benefits to familiarizing yourself with these techniques.

We've put together some answers to questions that we hear frequently from patients when they are first coming to visit one of our clinics, including a little information about why we're different, how we work with your physician, how you should dress for the visit, and what, generally, to expect.

In this article by Leslie Wakefield, she explores how physical therapy can help patients with entrometriosis adhesions, which can cause debilitiating pain and lead women to try all sorts of treatments from pain killers to anti-depressant medications. Specifically she points to the potential of Myofascial Release.

From the article: "Using specialized manual therapy techniques these adhesions and fascial restrictions can be softened or released, sothat the pressure they put on surrounding areas is relieved...If the endometriosis is active, it is always possible that new fascial restrictions will reform, due to the continued chronic healing process that is ongoing in the body. However by learning self-treatment techniques patients can often manage their own symptoms quite well."

In this Q&A we cover the four concepts that encourage the healing of musculoskeletal pain, and offer 10 tips for avoiding jaw and facial pain, including events that can trigger TMJ discomfort.