I just got back home after completing part I of the Visceral Osteopathy Course at the Southern Ontario College of Osteopathy and I must say that I can’t wait to start adapting some of the techniques to my treatments. I absolutely love taking different courses to broaden my understanding of the human body and develop new ways of treating and helping people.
This course, in particular is fascinating because it addresses pain and dysfunction in a way that I never considered. First of all, there are pain referral patterns that relate to organ health. For example, Right shoulder pain can be related to liver health. Pain between the shoulder blades could be related to stomach problems, Right low back pain is related to the liver, while left low back pain is related to the kidneys. Obviously if there are signs that the condition is serious, the client is immediately referred out to a physician.
Visceral osteopathy can help relieve discomfort by:
- relieving fascial restrictions on the organs
- freeing up the organ so that it is able to move freely and function normally
- repositioning the organs so that they sit in their normal place.
These conditions can arise from traumatic accidents or injuries, surgery, or bouts of serious illness. Any irritation of the organ can cause irritation or inflammation on surrounding fascia, nervous and muscle tissue resulting in pain, loss of range of motion, muscle imbalances or skeletal imbalances.
Aside from decreasing pain, visceral osteopathy can help improve organ function and help relieve certain conditions:
- peptic ulcer
- gastroesophageal reflux disease (heartburn)
- gastric ptosis
- constipation
- post surgery
- irritable bowel syndrome