What is Visceral Manipulation (VM)

Visceral Manipulation (VM) is a gentle hands-on manual therapy approach involving the release and mobility of organs (viscera) and the surrounding connective tissue network (fascia, ligaments, mesentery etc). Visceral manipulation was first developed by french physiotherapist and osteopath Jean-Pierre Barral and was named “one of the top healing innovators to watch in the new millennium”. Visceral Manipulation evaluates to whole body to find the source of dysfunction instead of focusing on the site of pain. After all, pain can lie. 

The body is like a matrix, with interconnected components which include muscles, bones, nerves, connective tissues (fascia) and organs. Every second you are alive, your organs are in constant movement.  When you breathe, twist, bend, flex or run, your physical (external body; container) and your visceral (internal body; content) move in relation to one another. It is important to keep in mind that the amount of mobility within the internal body, will reciprocally affect how well your external body moves and gets utilized.

For example, when we breathe, the kidneys move up and down a total of 2.5cm.  With deep inhalation, the kidneys can move a total of 10cm.  In one day, that’s approximately 0.8km. The expansion of the lungs onto the ribs, the expansion and depression of the diaphragm pushes the abdominal content and transmits this movement to the organs through the fascia and other structures of the body. Mobility of the inside and the outside body happens freely when both are moving optimally.

How Organ Mobility Affects Your Whole Body

Our organs need space and freedom to move, just like the rest of your body. When an organ is restricted, your muscles, joints, and posture often have to compensate, sometimes causing tension or discomfort in unexpected places. The reverse is also true: if your body isn’t moving well, your organs can feel the effects, limiting their natural movement and function.

Sometimes, the source of pain isn’t where you feel it. For example, a fall on your right side can affect the liver. Anchored to the ribs by strong ligaments, the liver can pull and create tension in surrounding tissues when it’s impacted. This tension can ripple through your body, showing up as tightness around the ribs, difficulty twisting or breathing, and over time, discomfort in your back, hips, neck, or shoulders.

Scar tissue in the lungs can create similar ripple effects. If you’ve had chronic bronchitis or pneumonia, adhesions may have formed without you realizing it. These restrictions make the muscles around your ribs, neck, shoulders and diaphragm work harder, which can lead to tension and pain in areas far from the lungs themselves.

At Ethos Collective Physiotherapy, we focus on the whole system. By addressing restrictions in organs, connective tissue, and surrounding structures, we help restore natural movement, reduce tension, and prevent compensations that could cause pain elsewhere. Sometimes, looking deeper is exactly what your body needs to feel free and balanced again.

What does it feel like?

Visceral Manipulation, along with other manual therapy techniques, gently encourages your body to find its natural balance. It is gentle, non-painful, and deeply restorative. You may feel soft stretches or subtle shifts in the tissues, sometimes at the treated area and sometimes elsewhere. Many clients notice a sense of ease, lightness, or release within 24–48 hours, with full effects integrating over a few days.