"More than 90% of musculoskeletal problems have an important visceral or cranial component"
Jean-Pierre Barral, DO
Visceral Manipulation (internal organ mobilization) is an Osteopathic technique that corrects the alignment and efficiency of your internal organs. It assesses the structural relationships between the viscera, and their fascial or ligamentous attachments to the various structures in the body. The aim is to restore homeostasis, a natural balance of function.
When you breathe in your organs need to be able to move in response to the drawing down movement of your diaphragm. When you exhale your diaphragm relaxes and all your organs should return to their original position. The same goes for physical exercise and daily movements; your organs need to be able to slide freely and smoothly over, under or around each other in response to muscle contraction. Most of the time, ligaments that attach themselves from the organ to the abdominal wall aid in these movements.
For an organ to happily do its job it needs to move! Just like our muscles need to move to keep flexible and to have good fluid (blood and lymph) circulation.
When your organs are affected by trauma (infections, emotional stress, sporting injuries, surgeries, falls, motor vehicle accidents, etc) the free flowing movements may become compromised. The walls of your organs and their associated ligaments can become restricted and taut. Organs also have the capability to adhere (stick) to each other, e.g. when the tissues are dehydrated or with infections and scarring. When these sorts of things happen your body will use extra energy to do daily tasks, such as with breathing, detoxing and digesting.
Your body is made up of interrelated components: bones, muscles, vessels, nerves, a thin connective tissue called fascia and your internal organs. Releasing restrictions, tensions and scarring within and around your organs (even if the organ has been surgically removed) can alleviate pain in your muscles and joints. Functional and structural conditions within your vascular, nervous, urogenital, respiratory, digestive, eliminatory, neuroendocrine and lymphatic systems may also be resolved.
Visceral Manipulation can relieve: