Healthy internal organs are free to roll around within the body. It is a fine balance of mobility and stability of the structures that maintains the organs' health.
The concept of organ mobility and stability is key to understanding dysfunctions of organs. The organs are meant to move, expand and empty (in a single day, our internal organs move 30,000 times, but our liver alone travels 600 meters). Should they not be able to expand fully because of fibrotic post-operative attachments, adhesions, fixation, ptosis, ligament laxity or prolapse, visceral spams, tissue changes or scarring from surgery, infections or inflammations, the patient may present with symptoms of inter alia pressure, pain, constipation, urinary frequency and many more vary symptoms.
A restriction in one viscera will often cause a restriction in another viscera and throw the whole organism out of whack. In weight-bearing postures, gravitational pressures gradually increase on the viscera.
Moreover, many musculoskeletal problems can be solved by skilled therapists when applying Visceral Manipulation, due to the existing proved connections. A few examples: liver affects right shoulder, head and neck; stomach does the same thing on the left. The ovaries can affect the knees, as well as the shoulders and the arms; the bladder has a strong affect on the hips. And don’t be surprised to hear from the therapist that your headache problem could come from the uterus! The uterus has ligaments which connect with the sacrum and coccyx, where there is a connection with the dura, which means that they could in turn cause headaches and neck problems, as well as the obvious connection with the law back. These are standard anatomical relationships, but there are many more which are unique to each person compensation patterning.
Visceral Manipulation, as developed and taught by Jean Pierre Barral, D.O., from Grenoble, France, is an manual organ therapy. In addition, it is a method of re-starting the mobility or motility in an organ by applying specific gentle forces.
Here is how it works: using only the hands, therapist coaxes any internal organ and other soft tissues back to their natural movement. In other words, therapists provide a stimulus to which the organs respond. This concept of restarting the motion implies all the respect which Osteopaths should accord to the body . Therapists manipulate to the point where the body can take over in order to achieve self-correction;they do not force a correction on the body.
Dora Franco, B.Sc., D.O., BI-D, ( www.terapia-sacrocraniana.blogspot.com ) completed the Visceral Manipulation Courses: Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 , which have a special focus on :
Thorax: Pleura, Lungs, Pericardium, Heart, Mediastinum, Phrenic nerve, Thyroid, Trachea, Oesophagus, Sternum, Rib cage and Thoracic plexuses, and their Ligaments, Connective and Suspensory tissues.
Abdomen: Liver, Stomach, Gall bladder, Hepatic ducts, Common bile duct, Duodenum, Small intestines, Colon, Hepatic and Splenic Flexures, Sigmoid, Cecum, Sphincters, Kidneys, Pancreas, Spleen, Greater omentum, Mesenteric root, Peritoneum, and their Ligaments, Connective and Suspensory tissues.
Pelvis: Blodder, Urethra, Ureteres, Uterus, Ovaries and Tubes, Prostate, Rectum, Perineum, Pelvic plexus, Coccyx, Sacrum and Pubis, and their Ligaments, Connective and Suspensory tissues.
By applying a soft pressure to the abdomen, thorax and urogenital areas, high experienced therapists can successfully treat ailments ranging from chronic back and joint pain to indigestion, infection, incontinence, migraines and even impotence and sterility.
Notes:
B.Sc. – Bachelor of Science in Medicine
D.O. – Doctor in Osteopathy
BI-D – Barral Institute Diplomate Certification
