VISCERAL MANIPULATION Can Reduce Persistent Pain and Movement Difficulties
- lisa039464
- Nov 21, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 7
by Lisa McKinney, PTÂ
Visceral Manipulation (VM) is a specialized hands-on therapy that focuses on the body’s internal organs and surrounding connective tissues. Unlike traditional physical therapy, VM addresses restrictions in organ mobility that can impact overall movement, posture, and even cause pain in seemingly unrelated areas. By gently releasing tension around organs such as the liver, lungs, and intestines, VM helps restore natural movement patterns, relieve pain, and support your body’s natural healing processes.
What is Visceral Manipulation?
The word "Viscera" refers to the internal organs in the chest and abdomen, including the liver, stomach, kidneys, lungs, intestines, gallbladder, heart, and the tissues connecting them. Visceral Manipulation (VM) is a gentle hands-on therapy targeting these organs and their surrounding connective tissues to relieve pain, improve movement, and restore natural function by normalizing and balancing the tensions between them.
The central principle of VM is that healthy organs need a degree of mobility to function well within the body. If an organ’s mobility is restricted—due to scarring, inflammation, or past surgeries, for example—the body often compensates by altering movements or limiting joint motion to avoid stressing the area. This can cause immediate pain, postural imbalances, and, over time, lead to chronic pain and even further tissue damage.
VM aims to release these restrictions to allow the body to move freely, reducing pain and enhancing overall mobility. This can present itself in many ways.
What to Expect from Treatment
Many people notice significant improvements after 3-5 sessions, though some may need additional treatment depending on their specific condition. Unlike other therapies that may involve weekly visits, VM treatments are usually spaced 1-3 weeks apart to allow the body time to integrate the changes made during each session. In VM, the treatment starts a gentle healing process that the body continues naturally over the following weeks.
How Do Organs Affect Pain and Movement?
Our organs, blood vessels, and nerves are not rigidly fixed inside our bodies; they shift and move as we walk, breathe, reach, and eat. They are anchored in place by layers of fascia, membranes, and ligaments, which allow them to slide and move within the body. However, factors like poor posture, injury, trauma, surgery, or chronic inflammation can create restrictions in these tissues, reducing mobility and sometimes causing pain in other parts of the body as compensation patterns form.
An easy way to imagine this effect is by pulling down one side of your T-shirt and lifting the arm on that side; you’ll feel a pull across the fabric. Imagine this as a restriction in your abdominal tissues. The tension could cause shoulder pain even though the shoulder itself is healthy. In this example, traditional shoulder exercises wouldn’t resolve the issue because the pain’s true cause is the restricted abdominal tissue.
Examples of Typical VM Clients
Here are a few real-life examples of how organ restrictions can lead to pain and movement difficulties:
Right Shoulder Pain After Gallbladder Removal
When the gallbladder is removed, a scar can form on the liver where the gallbladder was attached, restricting liver movement. Since the liver normally moves slightly when you raise your arm, this restriction can create shoulder pain as the liver and shoulder try to compensate for the lack of movement.
Neck Pain After an Upper GI Scope
A scope procedure can cause muscular spasms in the esophagus, a muscular tube connecting the mouth and stomach. This spasm may restrict neck rotation as the esophagus can’t extend as needed when turning the head, leading to neck pain. VM can release these spasms, alleviating the neck pain.
Asthma and Rib Cage Restrictions
Asthma and respiratory infections can cause the lung tubes (made of smooth muscle) to constrict. Following an asthma attack, some lung muscles may stay tense, restricting the rib cage and neck. VM can release these muscles, allowing for better mobility, less pain, and improved breathing during exertion.
Conditions Treated with Visceral Manipulation
Visceral Manipulation can be beneficial for various conditions, including:
Injuries: Whiplash, sports injuries, seatbelt injuries, concussions, and traumatic brain injuries.
Musculoskeletal Issues: Headaches, back pain, sciatica, hip pain, spinal dysfunction, chest pain, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Post-Surgery or Infection-Related Pain:Â Including pain caused by scar tissue from surgeries or infections.
Digestive Disorders: Bloating, constipation, acid reflux, GERD, and swallowing difficulties.
Post-Procedural Recovery:Â Including after hysterectomies, colonoscopies, gallbladder removal, or other abdominal surgeries.
Breathing Difficulties: Including asthma and post -infection.
Visceral Manipulation is a valuable addition to traditional physical therapy as it addresses deep tissue restrictions that typical therapies like stretching and strengthening may not reach. At Backway's Physical Therapy, we specialize in VM to provide a holistic approach to healing, ensuring that you can live, work, and play at your best.
Eventually, disease and dysfunction rear their ugly heads, cropping up in destinations that can't really be predicted...The symptoms of a visceral problem can be a backache, a joint problem…really, the effects can be felt everywhere."