Organ Manual Therapy
What is Organ Manual Therapy?
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Organ Manual Therapy uses gentle, specific, hands-on contact to improve the health and functioning of the organs and their surrounding tissues—the fascia, nerves, and blood and lymph vessels. Using manual therapy techniques to improve the mobility and function of internal organs and their surrounding structures has many benefits and is often the missing link in the treatment of pain, structural and postural issues, and even chronic fatigue and emotional dysregulation. Perhaps your back pain is being caused by a fascial restriction in your lung, or your right shoulder is being pulled forward from its fascial connections to your liver. Whether you have a specific, diagnosed organ dysfunction or generalized aches, pains, imbalances, or feelings of unwellness, everyone can benefit from organ manual therapy.
The organs make up 80% of the volume of your torso, and many musculoskeletal disorders involve the organs. Your organs connect to your spine, rib cage, and pelvis via connective tissue. The nerves and blood vessels that connect to organs are woven into our body’s entire web of neurovascular structures. So, through the organ’s connections to fascia, bones, nerves, and vessels, the health and mobility of your organs can affect any tissue in the body.
The way I work with the organs, their nerves, vasculature, and fascial structures is very gentle and relaxing. Working with these structures can be the primary focus of a session, or it can be used as an intervention in the context of a Rolfing, CranioSacral, SomatoEmotional Release or mixed modality session.
Organ Manual Therapy is indicated for
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- Improving general health and vitality
- Improving a specific organ’s functions
- Reducing structural restrictions, imbalances, movement limitations, and pain
-Addressing the effects of physical and emotional traumas, illnesses, scar tissue, toxin exposure, and poor diets
Organ manual therapy may improve organ function by
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- Helping organs move better by freeing up their fascia
-Positioning organs optimally
-Clearing a backlog of waste materials in an organ
-Improving organs’ blood flow
-Regulating nerve signals to the organs
-Stimulating organ tissue repair
-Coordinating organs’ work with the whole body
-Increasing your awareness or the experience of your organs
Common Symptoms of Organ Dysfunctions and/or restrictions
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- Fatigue/Malaise
- General achiness and joint pain
- Inflammation
- Intestinal issues and disorders
- Acid Reflux
- Chronic headaches and migraines
- Depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues
- Pelvic pain and/or reproductive issues
- Any kind of breathing issues such as Asthma, COPD, post respiratory infections, or breathing difficulties of an unknown origin
- Other misalignments or pain
Common Causes of Organ Restrictions
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- Surgery and scarring
- Poor nutrition
- Inflammation
- Posture and chronic movement/use patterns
- Infection and illness
- Emotional stress and/or trauma
- Physical trauma
- Chemical exposure to toxins such as pesticides, food additives, glyphosate, water contaminants, indoor and outdoor air pollutants, and other endocrine disruptors
-Pregnancy
-Breathing issues
Where Did Organ Manual Therapy Come From?
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Organ Manual Therapy was developed by Jean-Pierre Barral, a renowned French Osteopath and Physical Therapist. Through his clinical work with thousands of patients, he created this modality which he calls Visceral Manipulation.