Physical Therapy for Gastrointestinal Disorders

Chapter 1. Achalasia and oesophageal motor disorders.- Chapter 2. Functional dyspepsia and gastroesophageal reflux disease.- Chapter 3. Gastritis and gastroduodenal ulcer.- Chapter 4. Gastroparesis.- Chapter 5. Chronic nausea and vomiting.- Chapter 6. Cholelithiasis.- Chapter 7. Meteorism / belching.- Chapter 8. Inflammatory bowel disease.- Chapter 9. Diarrhoea.- Chapter 10. Irritable bowel syndrome.- Chapter 11. Acute diverticulitis.- Chapter 12. Chronic constipation.- Chapter 13. Faecal incontinence.- Chapter 14. Proctalgia fugax.- Chapter 15. Defecation disorders.

This book thoroughly examines all treatment options for gastrointestinal disorders based on physical therapy. While numerous publications explore the impact of physical therapy on anorectal disorders such as fecal incontinence, defecation disorders, or proctalgia, there is increasing evidence supporting the therapeutic options of physical therapy for other digestive disorders, including dyspepsia, gastroparesis, chronic vomiting, or cholelithiasis, among others. This book presents updated evidence of physical therapy as a therapeutic option for various gastrointestinal disorders beyond anorectal disturbances.

Each of the 15 chapters included in this volume focuses on a specific disorder, providing a clear description of the therapeutic techniques employed as well as the results reported in the literature. Aimed primarily at physical therapists and clinical practitioners, particularly those specializing in gastroenterology and coloproctology, this book offers essential information on the effectiveness of diverse physical therapies for optimal management of functional disorders.

Jaime Ruiz-Tovar, MD, PhD, is a specialist in general and digestive surgery and Professor of Medical-Surgical Conditions at Comillas Pontifical University, Department of Health Sciences, San Juan de Dios School of Nursing and Physical Therapy in Madrid, Spain. He serves as the Head of the Bariatric Surgery section of the ERAS-Spain group (Enhanced Recovery after Surgery). He has been awarded 15 national and international research grants. He received the Prize of the Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain in 2014 and the Award of the Valencian Society of Surgery for the best scientific article published in 2015. He has been included among the top 2% of the most cited researchers in the world in 2023 according to the list published by Stanford University, and is a member of the Sigma Xi Society (The Scientific Research Honor Society). Currently, he is leading several research projects focused on surgical infections, obesity, and translational research on microbiota and probiotics.

Ana Martin-Nieto, PhD, is a physiotherapist and nutritionist, and a Professor of Medical-Surgical Conditions at Comillas Pontifical University, Department of Health Sciences, San Juan de Dios School of Nursing and Physical Therapy in Madrid, Spain. She actively leads several investigational projects focused on neurological and digestive pathologies.