Southside Osteopathy
Visceral Osteopathy
Visceral Osteopathy, or as it is also called, Visceral Manipulation (VM), was developed by world-renowned French Osteopath and Physical Therapist Jean-Pierre Barral. Comparative Studies found Visceral Manipulation Beneficial for Various Disorders such as:
Acute Disorders
- Whiplash
- Seatbelt Injuries
- Chest or Abdominal Sports Injuries
Digestive Disorders
- Bloating and Constipation
- Nausea and Acid Reflux
- GERD
- Swallowing Dysfunctions
Women's and Men's Health Issues
- Chronic Pelvic Pain
- Endometriosis
- Fibroids and Cysts
- Dysmenorrheas
- Bladder Incontinence
- Prostate Dysfunction
- Referred Testicular Pain
- Effects of Menopause
Emotional Issues
- Anxiety and Depression
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Somatic-Visceral Interactions
- Chronic Spinal Dysfunction
- Headaches and Migraines
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Peripheral Joint Pain
- Sciatica
Pain Related to
- Post-operative Scar Tissue
- Post-infection Scar Tissue
- Autonomic Mechanisms
Pain Related to
- Constipation and Gastritis
- Persistent Vomiting
- Vesicoureteral Reflux
- Infant Colic
VM assists functional and structural imbalances throughout the body including musculoskeletal, vascular, nervous, urogenital, respiratory, digestive and lymphatic dysfunction. It evaluates and treats the dynamics of motion and suspension in relation to organs, membranes, fascia and ligaments. VM increases proprioceptive communication within the body, thereby revitalizing a person and relieving symptoms of pain, dysfunction, and poor posture.
An integrative approach to evaluation and treatment of a patient requires assessment of the structural relationships between the viscera (organs), and their fascial or ligamentous attachments to the musculoskeletal system. Strains in the connective tissue of the viscera can result from surgical scars, adhesions, illness, posture or injury. Tension patterns form through the fascial network deep within the body, creating a cascade of effects far from their sources for which the body will have to compensate. This creates fixed, abnormal points of tension that the body must move around, and this chronic irritation gives way to functional and structural problems.
Imagine an adhesion around the lungs. It would create a modified axis that demands abnormal accommodations from nearby body structures. For example, the adhesion could alter rib motion, which could then create imbalanced forces on the vertebral column and, with time, possibly develop a dysfunctional relationship with other structures. This scenario highlights just one of hundreds of possible ramifications of a small dysfunction - magnified by thousands of repetitions each day.
Visceral Manipulation relies on the palpation of normal and abnormal forces within the body. By using specific techniques, Osteopaths can evaluate how abnormal forces interplay, overlap and affect the normal body forces at work. The goal is to help the body's normal forces remove abnormal effects, whatever their sources. Those effects can be global, encompassing many areas of bodily function.
How Does Visceral Manipulation Help You?
Visceral Manipulation is used to locate and solve problems throughout the body. It encourages your own natural mechanisms to improve the functioning of your organs, dissipate the negative effects of stress, enhance mobility of the musculoskeletal system through the connective tissue attachments, and influence general metabolism. At Southside Osteopathy, all of our Osteopaths are trained at University in Visceral Osteopathy, however Dr Andrea Robertson (Osteopath) has done extensive post graduate study in Visceral Manipulation through the Barral Institute both in Australia and in the United States.