Visceral Treatment
Visceral mobilization and adhesion treatment:
Squamish Therapeutics is leading the way in research for post-surgical care for visceral adhesions. Below is a co-authored study with Susan Chapelle, RMT and Geoffrey Bove, DC, PhD on the effects of post-surgical treatment on visceral adhesions.
Manual therapy can prevent and lyse abdominal adhesions
Visceral adhesions can lead to a variety of problems, and are almost ubiquitous following surgical repair in the abdomen. Any person who has abdominal surgery including a c-section, appendix removal, intestinal sections, should seek treatment to prevent abdominal adhesions from forming. Treatment is most effective immediately post-surgery. Problems that can arise from visceral adhesions can include:
- Scar pain
- Acid reflux
- Abdominal pain
- Low back pain
- Bowel dysfunction including constipation or loose stool
- Bladder dysfunction
- Pain
- Infertility
How Visceral Massage is done
Abdominal muscles are massaged first, until they are relaxed enough to permit massage of the organs. Viscera are then massaged, the therapist will feel for restrictions and movement pattern changes. The therapist will work to gradually separate adhesions. No sudden movements are used. Lying with your knees and hips bent creates slack in the abdominal muscles, allowing deeper treatment.
How Did My Internal Organs Get So Adhered?
Any surgery to the abdomen will cause adhesions to form between structures.
Sitting for many hours, especially in bad chairs, can worsen abdominal tension, and cause inflammation in the abdominal cavity.
Trauma (accidents, injuries, surgeries) creates tension in the viscera. Even if it’s not an injury to the abdomen; the internal organs often become adhered after injuries or trauma to the abdomen.
Child birth can cause trauma in the viscera and rarely gets treated in North America. Women are discharged from hospital with little information on how to correct imbalances and adhesions that occur during natural childbirth, leaving a large percentage of women with postpartum pain and difficulty with bladder/bowel function. Visceral massage is one of the most effective ways to treat postpartum adhesions.
Adhesions:
Immobility, injury, and inflammation can result in adhesions: layers of tissue becoming ‘glued’ together. Surgery almost always causes adhesions and scar tissue. The most effective treatment for adhesions is prevention. Gentle mobilization of the abdominal contents post-surgery may help motility which often stops due to drugs taken for pain after surgery. Morphine, codeine, oxycodone are all neural inhibitors of normal intestinal movements, causing cessation of bowel movements that can lead to adhesions due to lack of movement. Through gentle massage, movement can be restored to the abdominal cavity making it difficult for structures to adhere together.
Involuntary muscle:
Contracts without conscious control; smooth muscle, found in walls of blood vessels and internal organs (except heart: cardiac muscle).
Thorax:
Portion of the trunk between the neck and the diaphragm.
Viscera:
Internal organs of the abdomen and thorax; guts; innards.
What you need to know about Visceral Treatment
Visceral massage can be uncomfortable, and sometimes painful. Adhesions are pulled apart allowing organs to move. When adhesions are broken, an inflammation reaction can occur, which helps the body restore function. After a treatment, you may experience a range of side effects including abdominal pain. This pain is normal, and treatment should be continued. If you experience severe discomfort, please contact the clinic or your therapist to discuss a course of action. If the problem has been chronic, it may take more than one treatment to resolve. With visceral massage, often problems can be resolved quickly.
Book a visceral treatment with Susan Chapelle , Jessica Carlin or Megan Joseph