What Is Visceral Manipulation? It Could Be The Missing Link In Wellness
- Jan 5, 2023
- 3 min read
Written by: Dr. Nikki Cohen, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Visceral Manipulation is becoming a more recognized form of manual therapy, though it’s still pretty “underground”. Developed by French Osteopath Jean-Pierre Barral, Visceral Manipulation is a treatment and philosophy based on manipulating the organs of the body in a gentle, yet effective way. Simply put, Visceral Manipulation is a hands-on treatment that works with what I’ve coined the “inner world” of the body, namely the organs and their surrounding structures.
Why Visceral Manipulation?
Chronic pain and dysfunction is quickly becoming a real problem and many healthcare providers are struggling with how to treat people outside of pharmaceuticals.
Many people are searching for something other than, or in addition to, the traditional modalities of massage, physical therapy, chiropractic, or acupuncture, and Visceral Manipulation may be the answer.
Visceral Manipulation is based on the premise that the underlying cause for a person’s pain or dysfunction may be directly related to dysfunction or lack of mobility in or around an organ.
This means that back pain could be related to tightness in or around your kidneys, liver, lung, or uterus for example, and can be treated with manual therapy.
So, if you’re struggling with any kind of chronic pain or dysfunction, Visceral Manipulation may be the answer you’ve been looking for.
A Case Study
Trained in Visceral Manipulation myself, I could share hundreds of examples of how it’s helped the people I’ve worked with, but to keep this concise, here’s one:
A woman came to me with a complaint of back pain after giving birth to her second child. She said she had the same pain after the birth of her first child, but it went away after a few weeks, and she’s now 6 months postpartum with her second and the pain is still there.
As a physical therapist, there were many possibilities for the source of her pain – core weakness, pelvic floor dysfunction, flat arches, and she told me she’d already seen a physical therapist who addressed all these issues, and her pain remained.
Since the “standard” physical therapy treatments were already addressed, I used Visceral Manipulation techniques to assess the “inner world” of her body and found her colon was restricted and didn’t have the mobility it needed in relation to her diaphragm.
Working gently with her colon and the surrounding tissues, the restrictions were eased and the next day she not only had significantly less back pain, but she felt “freer” throughout her whole body.
After 4 visits, her pain disappeared, and she had more energy to be the mom she wanted to be without dealing with chronic pain.
The Challenge
Although Visceral Manipulation courses are taught worldwide, there are not many practitioners who are trained in this type of modality, so access to someone who can provide you with this specialized therapy may be limited.
Fortunately, the International Association of Healthcare Practitioners has a website where you can enter your zip code and locate practitioners in your surrounding area who offer Visceral Manipulation.
Simply click on “Find A Therapist” and fill in the required fields.
In Summary
Visceral Manipulation is an incredible modality that is founded on the wholistic nature and interconnectedness of the body which offers a unique form of healing.
As a trained practitioner in Visceral Manipulation, I’ve been able to support hundreds of people who couldn’t find relief elsewhere.
Life is too short and precious to be limited by pain or dysfunction, and Visceral Manipulation may be the missing link you’ve been looking for to finally alleviate chronic pain.
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!
Dr. Nikki Cohen, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Dr. Nikki is a Doctor of Physical Therapy specializing in Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and is a passionate leader in transforming women’s healthcare. She saw a gap in the care of women firsthand and developed a proprietary methodology in providing 1:1 patient care, as well as offering essential information online. Founder of The Organic PT, Dr. Nikki takes the awkwardness out of potentially embarrassing issues and empowers women with knowledge to take back control in their health, wellness and life.
