Visceral Manipulation

What Is It?

Visceral Manipulation is a gentle manual therapy that assesses the structural relationships between the viscera (organs), and their fascial or ligamentous attachments to the various systems in the body. A practitioner will use gentle manipulations with the goal of improving mobility in your abdominal area.

At the core of Visceral Manipulation (VM) is ‘listening’ to the tissues with our hands. Through manual listening techniques, trained hands of a skilled practitioner feel where the tissues are pulling toward the areas of restriction, the areas where the body is not moving, and the areas of the greatest impact on the person’s wellbeing from the manual therapy perspective.

What Are The Benefits?

Visceral Manipulation is used to locate and solve problems throughout the body. It encourages the body’s own natural mechanisms to improve the functioning of organs, dissipate the negative effects of stress, enhance mobility of the musculoskeletal system through the connective tissue attachments, and influence general metabolism. If various tissues are restricted or organs are unable to move properly because of an injury, illness, accident, etc., then they do not function optimally.

What Conditions Can VM Help With?

Jean-Pierre Barral is the original developer of Visceral Manipulation and this list is directly from The Barral Institute website.

Acute Disorders

  • Neck Pain and Whiplash
  • Seatbelt Injuries
  • Chest or Abdominal Sports Injuries
  • Concussion
  • Traumatic Brain 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 Difficulties and Depression

  • Anxiety, Stress, Depression
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Orthopedic Problems

  • Somatic-Visceral Interactions
  • Scoliosis
  • Chronic Pain
  • Motor-Coordination Impairments
  • Headaches and Migraines
  • Fibromyalgia and other Connective
  • Tissue Disorders
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Peripheral Joint Pain
  • Sciatica
  • Sports Injuries

Pain Related to

  • Post-Surgical Dysfunction
  • Post-infection Scar Tissue
  • Autonomic Mechanisms

Other

  • Sleep Challenges
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • Immune Disorders