Massage Therapy for your internal organs
- Postpartum
- Acid reflux
- Abdominal pain
- Low back pain
- Bowel dysfunction
- Bladder dysfunction
- Cleansing
“Knots” in the abdomen can cause abdominal pain, back pain, hip/leg pain, migraines, and a variety of other common complaints. Most of the internal organs are muscular (small intestine, large intestine, bladder, gall bladder, heart, spleen, stomach, uterus). These muscular viscera can become tense, causing pain in the abdomen. Trigger points can form in the tense muscle fibres, creating tension and/or referred pain in any other part of the body.
The liver is often hardened and glued to the respiratory diaphragm. Releasing the adhesions allows the diaphragm to move more easily, so breathing deepens. Liver function may improve as well. The liver and gall bladder can have trigger points that refer pain to the neck and shoulders.
Non-muscular organs (kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas) can became hardened. This can inhibits blood flow. Organs can form trigger points, referring pain and/or tension elsewhere. Viscera can became stuck together (adhesions), inhibiting movement. Viscera can become stuck to the diaphragm, ribs, pelvis, and spine. Healthy organs slide up/down with each breath, getting a little massage each time you breathe. Tense, hardened, glued- together viscera cement you into postural distortion such as: upper body stooped forward, low back deeply curved, or one shoulder pulled down.
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 to relieve tension, and 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.
Visible Results of Visceral Massage
You'll see in a mirror the distortion in your posture before, and the improvement after. Knock-knees and bow-legs usually become straighter. Protruding abdomens (pot-bellies) flatten. The low back flattens. Your pelvis becomes less tipped forward. The body lengthens. The chest lifts. You'll breathe deeper.
How Did My Internal Organs Get So Tense?
Food allergies can make the viscera tense and/or hardened. Alcohol and other drugs and toxins make the liver become hardened.
Infections and parasites can make gut tense. Sitting for many hours, especially in bad chairs, can worsen abdominal tension.
Sit-ups, crunches and other abdominal exercises can make the internal organs become tense.
Trauma (accidents, injuries, surgeries) creates tension in the viscera. Even if it's not an injury to the abdomen; the internal organs often become tense after injuries to other parts of the body.
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 post partum pain, 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 can create adhesions and scar tissue.
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. 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 or Donna McMurtry (one hour bookings only)
