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Permalink Reply by bertrand on December 8, 2011 at 7:10pm

When it comes to its history, although that is not your main concern:

Visceral manipulation had been practised by kwacks for a really long time although , very logicaly , the amount of written information available is very limited. In flandre for exemple, a famous familly of kwack was famous at the end of the 19th century for the practise of gynecological manipulations. 

In the beginning of the 19th century, in Sweden, Mr Ming, founded  what was to become  "swedish therapy",  the ancestor of physiotherapy, this was based on exercises, massages and manipulation. One of his students, whose name I forgot developed and codified visceral manipulation. These visceral manipulation became very commonly practised on the continent although they were met with resistance by some member of the medical profession. they were still practiced in the after war era. Nevertheless as the medical paradigm evolved, the teaching of visceral manipulation disappeared gradualy from the teaching corpus of physio. school. It was still practised under the form of massages in specific physiotherapy hospital like in Vichy in the center of France where people suffering from digestive ailments where send after digestive surgery or to loose weight. In 1890ish a book was published by one of the main doctor of this Vichy hospital. Its tittle "visceral prolapse" says it all. In its first book published in 82, Barral uses exactly the same system of categorization of kidney prolapse as this author so I guess that was one of his sources of information.  From what I know from my conversation with some of the friends and colleagues of Barral. He had been using his so called "listening test" for a whyle and he was often findings abdominal tension and " silen abdominal pain" in patient suffering from back pain and he found that through massaging their abdomen he could bring them some relief. That's how visceral work was finnaly rediscovered

What palpatory findings drive it?

What findings inform change/end/time to move on?

Welll.... you are an osteopath so you know how to identify with palpation what Still called an "Osteopathic lesion". It is the same , you look for areas of increased density, increased resistance, lack of mobility of the organ you are testing for... and you use whatever is required ( except force) to obtain an improvement of these parametres. You should be able to obtain a change quickly enough. If you don't you might just irritate the tissues further so precision , speed and efficacy often go hand in hand. If you worked on a scared abdomen,  changes will be settlle and discrete.

And just to make things clear, if you practice visceral work properly you will quickly realize that it is particularly efficient for treating ..... back pain, and not necessarilly I.B.S. or other digestive symptoms as some people often think.

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Permalink Reply by george tseng on December 12, 2011 at 1:31am

its energetic connection with primary respiration/ the universe. It is easiest to feel the slower respiratory rhythm when the whole thorax and abdomen is taken together, and this really drives the listening for health.

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Permalink Reply by John Singleton on December 12, 2011 at 9:20am

Thanks for the replies.

I was looking more for the Osteopathic History, and it is quite clear that Osteopathic intervention was used from the get go to help with so called 'visceral complaints', and no distinction made between what 'technqiue' was used more an emphasis was put on using the Osteopathic principles to treat visceral complaints. 

It seems Still's early students then categorised the various forms of treatment (Hoover – ventral technique, Sutherland had techniques for the pelvis and abdomen, and Woodhall concentrated on the gynaecologic aspect.)

From here on in I would be interested to know peoples thoughts, for example if/how it was carried over to the UK by the likes of Littlejohn? and how it continued to be developed in America, I know Barral has been useful in publishing his style of Visceral Manipulation, I would be also interested to see the other schools of thought.

I may not have been too clear in my questions. I am looking for the people who influenced the technique changes in the technique and the findings/treatment they offered as opposed to the anacedotal opinions of what one finds when treating viscerally.

Thanks

John

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Permalink Reply by bertrand on December 12, 2011 at 10:42am

I am not sure if your question makes references to the treatment of visceral complain with osteopathy or the application of osteopathy in the visceral field which are 2 separate matters?????

Relating to the American Osteopaths way of practising visceral work ... as far as I have found through reading... Still did not described much of what he was doing but he was apparently working with a positionnal model of work and was emphasizing organ lifting techniques, the cranial crowd ' I use the word crowd with respect) used the same concept as for the treatment of the rest of the body,  I am not sure about Littlejohn but I think he was carrying simple procedure close enough to the ones of Still.(lifting, enteric mobilization,etc...)

Barral uses a combination of mobilization, normalization of the visceral ligaments and inhibition of the sphincters and developped his concept of motility, Franz Buzet (80's)( brilliant) give more importance to the sliding surfaces and the visceral "compartments" which he often test and treat by inserting his fingers along the virtual visceral "joint", therefore it is very interesting when working on an abdomen suffering from adhesions( but not only), Finet and William use as a reference the mvt of organs during breathing as the physiological references to  their work  but techniquewise they use mild fascial stretching on specific axis in synchronicity with the breathing cycles I find this method interesting but it does not take into account the adaptative mouvements imposed onto the organs by the muskulo-skeletal system , and finaly a book as been published last year called " visceral osteopathy, the peritoneal organs" (Flamish and German authors) it devellops new theory about the mechanical behaviour of visceras but to be honest I found it  rather unconvincing.

In America as far as I know, Barral as been very big right from the begining of is teaching work in the 80's so it has become the dominant style, but a physical therapist called weiselfish- giammatteo has applyed the concept of strain counter-strain to the organs and managed to develop something very ... potent  in the 90's( no evidence based there though LOL....) 

 Now, you seem to be more interested into the devellopment of visceral work in the USA and here( UK)....In all honesty, even if the work of the American pionneer is worth knowing, it seems nothing much was develloped from it from the 30's onward (but if you find something please let me know). The most complete models of work have really been develloped  in the last 30 years in Europe and sadly the visceral approach in the UK as never taken off. It represent 4% of the technics used in the UK according to a study published recently in the Osteopath.

 

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Permalink Reply by bertrand on December 12, 2011 at 10:43am

Ho and I am having a " bad English" day so I hope you can understand me.

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Permalink Reply by John Singleton on December 14, 2011 at 10:19pm

Thanks for that Bertrand,

That was a little more what i was looking for, putting some information on it over the weekend so will let you know what i come up with.

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Permalink Reply by Clement Rhein on December 18, 2011 at 5:25pm

Why or what intention was behind its conception?: Somatic dysfunctions installs itself in a certain location that has meaning for the reason for the dysfunction. Such as the feeling of anger related to liver dysfunction. The liver has meaning for unresolved psycho-emotional events that essentially generates(ed) anger. What i'm getting at is that the origin of a whole pattern in a given patient may be anywhere, so its paramount to be able to examine and treat all tissues in order to completely apply the holistic philosophy that osteopathy is. Hence the reason why one should incorporate the viscera in their work.

What palpatory findings drive it?: quantitative and qualitative. The amount of restriction and the quality of restriction will both indicate pertinence and rational for treatment. Their is also cranial palpation and intuition.

What findings inform change/end/time to move on?: same as musculoskeletal dysfunctions — tissue changes. Ultimately, once the tension/restriction resolves (albeit not always completely) but also tissues "soften/melt", proper cranial rhythm returns...

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