It's a manual therapy consisting of gentle and specifically placed manual forces in
order to release fascia restrictions in your abdomen, pelvis and chest with the goal
of encourage normal mobility, tone and inherent tissue motion of the viscera.
This technique is an osteopathic approach developed by Jean Pierre Barral, who has spent over 30 years working on this manual therapy as a way to relieve a person of chronic pain and ailments. According to him, motion is a sign of life itself. Our bodies need movement to be healthy, and this same principle applies to every structure in our body including the viscera. That is the reason for sustaining that each organ needs to be in motion in order to have an optimal functioning.
Your organs are not just loosely floating around in the abdomen, they are mostly supported by a tissue called fascia. the whole thing is a sealed system under pressure that keeps everything tight together. Each organ is wrapped in its own fascia and bathed in a little bit of fluid so it can slide and move around its neighboring organs. Things affecting the pressure in the system or the ability of the organ to slide and move around in their space, will affect the ability of the organ to move and function properly.
Since fascia is basically an extended continuos piece of connective tissue (Fascial System) and it wraps all your organs around, any restrictions in one area can produce symptoms in other areas. So as to cope with those limitations, the body starts to protect the areas making issue alignments and compensatory patterns of movement. These changes tend to lead to tension and pain in the muscle-skeletal system.
Those restrictions can be caused by many factors such as: infections, physical trauma, diet, environmental toxins, surgery, poor posture, pregnancies or repetitious movement.
Visceral manipulation is part of Osteopathic Manipulative Technique (OMT) and it has been proved by many therapist, to be an excellent way of treatment for those who suffer from chronic pain or any dysfunction associated with the digestive system.
