Visceral Manipulation FAQ | Twin Cities Physical Therapy

What are Viscera?

The internal organs of the body, specifically those within the chest (as the heart or lungs) or abdomen (as the liver, pancreas or intestines).

What is Visceral Manipulation?

Visceral manipulation is a manual therapy consisting of gentle, specifically placed manual forces that encourage normal mobility, tone and inherent tissue motion of the viscera, their connective tissue and other areas of the body where physiologic motion has been impaired.

Why is this Important?

Each organ should have the ability to slide and glide in relationship to all other tissues without any restrictions. All connective tissues should have a functional joint – the space between structures and fascial type tissues that allow movement to occur.

The organs are independent structures with three dimensional movement and interfaces with other organs; muscles and fascia. Each organ has a well defined movement pattern during function. For the viscera to function properly, each organ needs to be able to glide and slide in relationship to all the other tissues without restriction.

Any restriction or fixation, no matter how small, implies functional impairment of the organ as well as dysfunctional patterns throughout the body. When a body is no longer bound in a pattern from a restriction, it can move with greater ease, increase its ability to adapt to its environment and thus have a greater expression of health.

What can Cause these Restrictions?

Tissues lose their normal motion when they become inflamed. This can be thought of as a localized drying-out of the affected area.

Many factors can cause tissue inflammation including: infections (i.e. pneumonia; colitis), direct trauma (i.e. from a seat belt in a car accident or surgeries), repetitive movement, diet, environmental toxins and emotional stress.