By: Stacey Ayres
What is Visceral Manipulation?
Visceral manipulation, particular to my training, stems from Osteopathy. Osteopathy involves knowing all the anatomy of the body, being able to feel it and treat it. The practice of osteopathy looks to find the cause of the dysfunction, the reason for the symptoms, and addresses the cause. It looks at all the systems of the body and how they interrelate: the musculoskeletal system, nervous system, circulatory system, the connective tissue and the organs or viscera. Essentially, the osteopath facilitates the structures that are not functioning well, and sometimes those structures are organs.
Visceral Manipulation involves manually working on the organs. It requires the precise palpation skills of the therapist to restore normal function and mobility of the organs. This is done by removing adherences, repositioning organs and promoting optimal circulation and nervous supply to the organs, as well as by balancing the internal pressure systems within the body.
How does it work?
The therapist works on the structural level, where the nutritionist works on the physiological level. While nutrition intake is equally as important, if the tissues are restricted, they will not be able to do their job of digestion properly. Simply put, the therapist removes the restrictions of the organs using their hands, knowledge of normal anatomy, and the cooperation of the person’s auto regulation system.
For the sake of imagery, the nutritional content is like the fluid flowing through a hose. If you put sludge through the hose, things may get “backed up”. You may also end up with plumbing problems, even though you’re using the cleanest fluid, if there is a “kink” in the hose. The visceral manual therapist is the one that removes those kinks from the hose.
All the organs in the body have a rhythmical motion component to them; there is a pumping like motion that is created by the diaphragm, and peristalsis that facilitates in moving your food from one end to the other. Although they are situated very close together, they need to be able to move independently and function together in harmony. When one structure in the body is not able to do its job properly, other structures have to compensate, or pick up the slack. Eventually, if left untreated, the structures that are compensating become fatigued and symptoms emerge as warning signs from your body to do something.
Such signs and symptoms of poor visceral function may include: constipation, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal cramping, acid reflux, hiatus hernia, gas, bloating, gallbladder troubles, fatigue and sleep disturbances. Low back pain and shoulder pain can sometimes have a visceral origin as well as headaches.
Sometimes the musculoskeletal system is the cause of poor organ health, (For example if the ribs are compressing the nerve that is responsible for liver or stomach function, the nerve must be alleviated before normal digestive function can resume.) Other times musculoskeletal problems are the result of poor visceral function (i.e. low back pain due to a compacted bowel). The osteopath or manual therapist will consider both possibilities in their assessment and treatment.
How does this happen?
There are several ways in which organs may have physical restrictions. One, very obvious explanation, which is often overlooked, is trauma. If you have a container of nicely arranged take out food and you drop it on the floor, what happens? Yes, the container might be dented, but the contents inside the container will surely be affected as well. The musculoskeletal system is like the container and the contents inside are like the organs. If a person falls on their side, for example, they might break or bruise a few ribs, however unless there is a rupture of the organ, very little consideration is usually taken of how the liver might be affected. The ribs could possibly pin down the organ, hindering its normal function. In the case of car accidents, the high velocity trauma is like throwing that container against the wall. The shock is enough to halt the normal function of some organs.
Surgery, even laparoscopic, leaves scar tissue which can impede on normal function and mobility of the organs.
Stress has a huge effect on the autonomic system and organs are quite sensitive to it. The autonomic system refers to the “fight and flight” and “rest and digest” modes. When the body is under stress, nervous supply and circulation go to the muscles, conscious mind, and sweat glands so that the body can fight or run away from the “predator” or perceived stress factor. In times of stress or emergency, the body gives less attention to the digestive system, as it is considered secondary function. Although this is essential for our survival, chronic stress can have severe repercussions on the digestive system. The therapist, in this case, works to balance the autonomic nervous system and treat organs that have been affected.
Emotional stress also affects the organs. When the brain is overloaded with heavy emotions it “contracts out” so that it can focus on more important things, hence why emotional memories are sometimes stored in the organs. This is why people with anxiety might have ulcers, and “irritable bowel” flares up with emotional crisis.
What to do when there are problems with the digestive system
Diet and lifestyle are hugely important. The more processed your food is, the harder it is for the body to break it down. Alcohol and some medications can be very taxing on the digestive system. Exercise is also important; it regulates the metabolism, and helps in balancing the autonomic system. Abdominal tone is another important factor in balancing the tone and internal forces within the abdominal cavity. (One more reason to do those crunches!)
In cases where a healthy diet simply isn’t enough, visceral manipulation may be the answer to promoting good digestion. It is a generally gentle therapy that has a huge effect on the rest of the body. When all the systems of the body are balanced, there is less chance of illness, the person is able to function at their optimal health and they feel better.
Certain conditions that are acute or severe may require allopathic medical attention instead of or in conjunction with manual therapy.
