What is Visceral Manipulation?
"The purpose of Visceral Manipulation is to recreate, harmonize and increase proprioceptive communication in the body to enhance its internal mechanism for better health."
- Jean-Pierre Barral, D.O
Visceral Manipulation is a manual therapy consisting of gentle, specifically placed manual forces that encourage normal mobility, tone and inherent tissue motion of the viscera, their connective tissue and other areas of the body where physiologic motion has been impaired.
Motion is a sign of life itself. Everything in the universe is in motion. Everything moves in space and time and humans are no exception to this rule. Our bodies need movement to be healthy. This same principle applies to every structure in our bodies, including, the viscera.
Tissues lose their normal motion when they become inflamed. The natural healing process involves local disruption of normal tissue fibers and their replacement with relatively inelastic granular tissue. It can be conceptualized as a localized drying-out of the affected tissues. Many factors can cause tissue inflammation including: infections, direct trauma, repetitious movement, diet, environmental toxins and emotional stress.
VM assists functional and structural imbalances throughout the body including musculoskeletal, vascular, nervous, urogenital, respiratory, digestive and lymphatic dysfunction. It evaluates and treats the dynamics of motion and suspension in relation to organs, membranes, fascia and ligaments. VM increases proprioceptive communication within the body, thereby revitalizing a person and relieving symptoms of pain, dysfunction, and poor posture.
An integrative approach to evaluation and treatment of a patient requires assessment of the structural relationships between the viscera, and their fascial or ligamentous attachments to the musculoskeletal system. Strains in the connective tissue of the viscera can result from surgical scars, adhesions, illness, posture or injury. Tension patterns form through the fascial network deep within the body, creating a cascade of effects far from their sources for which the body will have to compensate. This creates fixed, abnormal points of tension that the body must move around, and this chronic irritation gives way to functional and structural problems.
What Can Visceral Manipulation treat?
| Acute Disorders Whiplash Seatbelt Injuries Chest or Abdominal Sports Injuries Digestive Disorders Bloating and Constipation Nausea and Acid Reflux GERD Swallowing Dysfunctions Women's and Men's Health Issues Chronic Pelvic Pain Endometriosis Fibroids and Cysts Dysmenorrhea Bladder Incontinence Prostate Dysfunction Referred Testicular Pain Effects of Menopause Emotional Issues Anxiety and Depression Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder |
Musculoskeletal Disorders Somatic-Visceral Interactions Chronic Spinal Dysfunction Headaches and Migraines Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Peripheral Joint Pain Sciatica Pain Related to Post-operative Scar Tissue Post-infection Scar Tissue Autonomic Mechanisms Pediatric Issues Constipation and Gastritis Persistent Vomiting Vesicoureteral Reflux Infant Colic |
(Courtesy of The Barral Institute)
