ABDOMINAL SOUNDS

BOWEL SOUNDS

 Made by the movement of the intestines as they push food through

 The intestines are hollow, so bowel sounds echo through the abdomen much like the sounds heard
from water pipes
 Are they normal? : YES
 Absense of bowel sounds : ABNORMAL - usually a sign that the intestines are inactive or underactive
 Types of bowel sounds :
1. Normal bowel sounds: These bowel sounds simply indicate that your digestive system is
working properly (high-pitched, gurgling, clicking, etc)
2. Hyperactive bowel sounds: Sounds that can be heard without a stethoscope and signify an
increase in gastrointestinal activity.
3. Absent bowel sounds: If you don’t hear any sounds during a bout of abdominal
• Normally, after surgery, there won’t be any noticeable sounds, but they resume once the digestive system begins to run
normally again.

4. Hypoactive bowel sounds: Sounds are much lower or can’t be heard without a stethoscope.
This could indicate that digestion and gastrointestinal activity has slowed down.
 DEFINITION
1. Coherent : capable of talking, speaking and
thinking lucidly

2. Ambulatory : someone who has the ability to

move around, particularly by walking

3. Facial Grimace : a facial expression that

usually suggests disgust or pain
• facial expression is often used to evaluate
pain in noncommunicative critically ill
patients.
 DOMS
DELAYED ONSET MUSCLE SORENESS
 Definition : The muscle pain and weakness that starts up to a day after unfamiliar
exercise, peaking up to two days later

 Cause : myofibril tears (muscle strains)

 The strongest trigger : a lot of eccentric contraction - the muscles contracting

whilst lengthening

 Symptoms :

1. muscle stiffness plus tenderness

2. short-term loss of muscle strength

3. a reduced joint range of motion 

 How is DOMS Diagnosed?
- A clinical diagnosis
- An ultrasound scan is unreliable in the diagnosis of DOMS but may assist determine a more significant muscle tear.

 DOMS Treatment :
- active rest 
- anti-inflammatory measures such as ice
- heat is used on back muscle DOMS for a positive pain reduction
- NSAIDs may be used for pain relief but long-term use may impair satellite cell healing in DOMS
- gentle massage and pressure garments - provide a reduction in the duration and severity of DOMS

 DOMS Prevention :
- Take it slow and gradually build up the amount of exercise you do in your program
- Only increase your sets, reps and weights by more than 10% per week
- Be aware of the amount of eccentric exercise you are including in your workouts
- Ensure you do a thorough cool down following your workout
- Long distance runners should incorporate eccentric quadriceps training into their training

 Prognosis of DOMS :
- most cases of DOMS gradually subside and have no lasting effects and resolve within one to three days