Heartburn, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, and back pain are common ailments. Visceral therapy, also known as visceral osteopathy, can help with these conditions by eliminating structural tensions within the internal organs and surrounding tissues.
Visceral Therapy – Osteopathy for Functional Digestive Disorders Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome, and abdominal pain are common health problems that affect many people. It is important to change dietary habits, minimize stress, limit substance use, and maintain good sleep hygiene to alleviate these conditions. However, it is possible that heartburn, acid reflux, abdominal pain, or irritable bowel syndrome persist even after taking these precautions. In such cases, it is worth visiting an osteopath who can use visceral therapy.
For conditions such as:
- Heartburn
- Acid reflux
- Belching
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Abdominal pain
- Constipation
- Feeling overly full after eating
- Bloating
- Excessive “gurgling”
An osteopath uses gentle osteopathic techniques to loosen and release tension from the internal organs, allowing them to function in a physiological way without additional strain. Visceral therapy is used by osteopaths to mobilize structures such as the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum, restoring their natural mobility and eliminating discomfort.
Is Visceral Therapy a Therapeutic Abdominal Massage?
The procedure resembles an abdominal massage, but the osteopath uses various manual techniques. The osteopath combines manual therapy techniques (visceral manipulations, fascial manipulations, stimulation of internal organ movements in the abdominal cavity to improve blood circulation, and others), abdominal wall massage, deep abdominal massage, and lymphatic drainage.
Back pain, chest pain, neck pain, and headache as indications for visceral osteopathy Visceral osteopathy techniques, due to the many connections between internal organs and the musculoskeletal, nervous, and vascular systems, are suitable for treating various osteopathic disorders. The osteopath recognizes and uses the fact that the viscera are anatomically and functionally related to each other and to other structures in the body. The viscera, or internal organs of the abdominal and chest cavities, are connected to the walls of the body cavities, the spine, the ribs, and the pelvis by connective tissue structures. During spinal movement, internal organs also move. If there are any restrictions in the natural mobility of the viscera, the result may be stiffness, tension, or pain in other, even distant, structures in the body. Dysfunctions in the abdominal cavity can cause back pain, while musculoskeletal dysfunctions can cause discomfort in the viscera.
The feeling of a “tight” stomach or an increase in irritable bowel syndrome symptoms during stress is well known. Shallow breathing often appears in stressful situations, causing a disruption in diaphragm function. Visceral therapy can help alleviate these conditions by releasing internal organ tension and restoring proper function.
