Imagine your entire body covered in a blanket. This blanket is thin and comfortable, yet immensely strong; it moves with you like an expensive, well-tailored suit. You barely know it’s there. Until it has a kink. This kink can be minor at first, but then, this kink in your blanket-suit can become so bad, you’re ready to trade it in for a new one. But since we’re only born with one (no upgrades!), well, you just have to fix it.

This lovely one-of-a-kind tailor-made-blanket-suit is called fascia, or better known as connective tissue. Our connective tissue runs from our head to our toes, wraps our fingers and runs through our bellies and chests to surround our organs, each individually like little birthday gifts. It keeps our organs from piling up into the bottom of our pelvis (with help from our ligaments), and separates them from one another, all while keeping them connected. It is via manipulation and release of this connective tissue that visceral manipulation works.

Visceral manipulation (VM), meaning adjustments or movement of the internal organs of the body, has thought to have been practiced for many centuries by folk healers around the world. And although this practice was known to many local healers, the founder of visceral manipulation is considered to be a French osteopathic physician by the name of Jean Pierre-Barral. His interest peaked when he noticed some of his more difficult patients were being helped by visiting the local folk healers, known as “bone setters,” who were manipulating their organs.

Illustration by Lucas Rate

The premise behind VM is that tissue adhesions and scar tissue can form around and between our organs, causing restriction and impedance of function. This restriction not only affects the organ being bound, but also the surrounding organs and muscle tissue by being connected to that organ. VM encourages movement and enhancement of function by using very gentle, precise pressure and stretching, producing release.

Many of us have no problem believing that our headache is related to our spine, but might find it a stretch to believe that our wrist pain is connected to our lungs. So consider this scenario: Mr. X has a history of chronic respiratory infections. It’s not so far-fetched to believe that chronic inflammation and irritation over years could scar and tighten the tissue surrounding the lungs (this phenomenon is viewed and documented often in the traditional medical literature). This tissue and ligaments which suspend the lungs attach to the neck vertebrae, putting strain on the neck. This in turn creates tension in the neck muscles, tightening them around the nerves, which innervate the wrist, creating tingling and pain. If you just treat the wrist or the neck, you are not addressing the cause.

Other times the issue is the organ itself. One local occupational therapist and practitioner of visceral manipulation, Dayna Willbanks, first became aware of the therapy when she was told her gallbladder was no longer functioning and had to be removed immediately. Believing there had to be other solutions; she sought out Marianne McGreevy, a physical therapist, who gently manipulated her gallbladder and its ducts, opening up the normal flow of bile from the liver. A pesky, long-term right shoulder pain, commonly associated with gallbladder dysfunction (even in traditional circles) also disappeared. She avoided surgery and now, five years later, offers a gentle form of manipulation to address a range of complaints from back pain to muscle dysfunction.

Visceral manipulation can be a wonderful therapy, however, is best experienced through trained hands. Many practitioners of physical and occupational therapy, massage therapy, and osteopathic and naturopathic physicians integrate VM into their overall care, and can be a great resource when looking for a practitioner. So pull out your suit, it just might be time for a trip to the cleaners!

Resources

Although this is not an all-inclusive list, local practitioners of VM include:

*Dayna Willbanks, BS, OTR/L, (208) 892-8888 (occupational therapist and practitioner of visceral manipulation)

*Marianne McGreevy, PT, (509) 332-3257 (physical therapist)

*Christine McGreevy, LMT (208) 882-4977)

*Carol Bradford (208) 883-5856