What is Visceral Manipulation?
I recently had the good fortune to spend a week at the Esalen Institute on the spectacular Big Sur coast in California improving my Visceral Manipulation skills. Esalen is a very special place to be able to spend time learning more about the healing arts and refine these techniques which require the therapist to work with a sensitive touch and be able to listen to the body. The class was taught by the Barral Institute. Jean-Pierre Barral is a French Physiotherapist and Osteopath who founded these techniques.
Visceral Manipulation is a manual therapy consisting of gentle specifically placed forces that encourage normal motion of the organs and their connective tissue. Tissues lose their normal motion when they become inflamed. Many factors can cause tissue inflammation including infections, direct trauma (including surgery), repetitious movement, diet, environmental toxins and emotional stress. Adhesions and restrictions can form and the sliding surfaces in between the organs as well as the ligaments and membranes that attach the organ to the cavity they are contained in, can all be affected. The organ then loses its ability to expand, empty, slide, and move normally within the body.
If our organs lose their inherent mobility this will directly affect how we move and function in our lives.
Normal motion of the organs is influenced by the pressure changes created by breathing and the motion of the diaphragm, by the vibration of the heart as it beats, as well as by the continuous rhythmical movement of the fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord. Walking, running, bending forwards and other body movements all influence organ mobility and health.
Treatment involves gentle but very specific and precise pressure that requires considerable training and skill and a very good knowledge of anatomy. Our organs can also lose their motility which is the intrinsic motion or rhythm of the organ itself and it occurs approximately 7-8 times per minute. The trained hand can appreciate this and help restore this as part of the treatment.
I have found this type of treatment to be especially effective in the treatment of conditions such as infertility, painful periods, incontinence, after any type of abdominal surgeries including c-sections as well as after heart and lung surgeries. It can also be helpful for endometriosis and constipation. There are also times where this type of treatment is contraindicated and it is important that a thorough evaluation is performed before treatment is started.
As a physical therapist I treat patients with musculoskeletal problems such as low back pain, pelvic pain and neck pain, but there may be visceral restrictions that are a component of the problem and need to be addressed as part of the treatment, if the patient is to fully resolve their issues.
Becoming more in touch with the organs and how visceral restrictions can impact how we move and function, has improved my ability to treat the body holistically. This is an important aspect of Functional Manual Therapy which addresses the cause of the pain and allows the patient to reach their full potential.
“The body is like a tightrope walker, making fine adjustments left and right, backwards and forwards in order to keep his balance. A small deviation from equilibrium can add up over time to functional difficulty. Good health is not a state but a search for equilibrium” Jaques Descotes, Osteopath.
Alison Palmer
Physical Therapist
Functional Manual Therapist
For further information go to www.alisonpalmerpt.com or to schedule an appointment please contact Alison Palmer at Alison Palmer Physical Therapy and Wellness Center 728 1135. We are located in the Cimarron Lodge at the bottom of lift 7. Wellness is the full integration of mind, body and spirit. We look forward to helping you towards a healthier life.