Research, Articles & Case Studies

This is an article written in Shape Magazine about Visceral Manipulation. It is meant for the lay person to understand through gentle stimulation, Visceral Manipulation is shown to help a host of issues including women’s health condition, sleep, mood, digestion, pain, trauma, and stress.

Our high impact culture feeds on the same gratification in our sports. In fact, game enthusiasts hunger for the impact- the great tackle, the head long dive for the base, the willingness of our athletes to sacrifice their bodies for the win, the score and the memorable play. One of the prices paid is to the head in the form of concussions and Traumatic brain injuries. Some prevention and rehabilitation therapies available to us include: Acupuncture, Massage, Healing touch, Visceral Release Manipulation, and Cranio-Sacral Therapy.   

This article talks about what is Visceral Manipulation and what it has shown to be helpful for. 

This is an article written in Vogue Magazine about Visceral Manipulation.

It is meant for the lay person to understand through gentle stimulation, Visceral Manipulation is shown to help a host of issues including sleep, mood, digestion, pain, trauma, and stress.

It is wonderful to see that Visceral Manipulation and Jean-Pierre Barral have gone mainstream in  Vogue magazine. The article also mentions CranioSacral Therapy.

The writer interviewed Gail Wetzler, PT, DPT, EDO, BI-D, Director of Curriculum for BI, for the article. According to the writer, in the more trendy cities such as Los Angeles and NYC, there is a surge in models, actresses and actors, and dancers seeking this "new" Organ Massage, aka Visceral Manipulation.

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the effects of a protocol involving soft tissue techniques and/or neural mobilization techniques in the management of patients with frequent episodic tension-type headache (FETTH) and those with chronic tension-type headache (CTTH).

CONCLUSIONS:

The application of soft tissue and neural mobilization techniques to patients with FETTH or CTTH induces significant changes in pressure pain threshold (PPT), the characteristics of pain crisis, and its effect on activities of daily living as compared with the application of these techniques as isolated interventions.

Experimental brain-imaging method predicts autism based on early differences in brain growth; potential for earlier diagnosis and therapy for high-risk infants

The study’s findings may stimulate further research into the relationship between early brain overgrowth and autism, which some previous studies have likewise documented.

Summary Background and aims:

Constipation is a common problem in western countries. The aim of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) for the treatment of constipated women with functional constipation (FC) or defeation disorders (DD). Methods: Twenty-one constipated females referred to a tertiary center were recruited. A course of OMT, weekly for four weeks, was given. Clinical questionnaire, Bristol stool form scale and patients’ subjective perception of constipation, bloating and abdominal pain, were recorded. Total and segmental colonic transit time (CTT) were performed before and after OMT. Results: Eleven patients had FC and 10 DD, as defined by Rome III criteria. After OMT, the Knowless Eccersley Scott Symptom score (P = 0.020), the oro-anal transit time (P = 0.002), the right (P = 0.005) and left (P = 0.009) CTT had decreased while the stool frequency (P = 0.005) and the Bristol Stool Form scale (P = 0.003) had increased. After OMT, the intensity of constipation, and the Patient assessment of constipation symptoms score did not change but a decrease of abdominal pain, bloating, quality of life score and drug use was found. Conclusions: This study shows OMT has potential benefit for treating functional constipation in women. Further randomised trials are required to confirm these results. 

One of the most common injuries incurred in sports is concussions. They are so common that their potential long-term effects can be overlooked as an ice pack is put upon the head until the player gets their wits back enough to run back on the field. More and more sufferers of such trauma to the brain are finding long-term effects surfacing years after retirement from their beloved sport. Gentle manipulation and craniosacral therapy work with the Cerebro-spinal fluid. We are made up largely of water, so why not use the greatest force within us to bring the body back into balance.     

Abstract 

BACKGROUND: Non-specific low back pain is an increasingly common musculoskeletal ailment. The aim of this study was to examine the utility of craniosacral therapy techniques in the treatment of patients with lumbosacral spine overload and to compare its effectiveness to that of trigger point therapy, which is a recognised therapeutic approach. 

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study enrolled 55 randomly selected patients (aged 24-47 years) with low back pain due to overload. Other causes of this condition in the patients were ruled out. The participants were again randomly assigned to two groups: patients treated with craniosacral therapy (G-CST) and patients treated with trigger point therapy (G-TPT). Multiple aspects of the effectiveness of both therapies were evaluated with the use of: an analogue scale for pain (VAS) and a modified Laitinen questionnaire, the Schober test and surface electromyography of the multifidus muscle. The statistical analysis of the outcomes was based on the basic statistics, the Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon's signed rank test. The statistical significance level was set at ps0.05. 

RESULTS: Both groups demonstrated a significant reduction of pain measured with the VAS scale and the Laitinen questionnaire. Moreover, the resting bioelectric activity of the multifidus muscle decreased significantly in the G-CST group. The groups did not differ significantly with regard to the study parameters. 

CONCLUSIONS: 1. Craniosacral therapy and trigger point therapy may effectively reduce the intensity and frequency of pain in patients with non-specific low back pain. 2. Craniosacral therapy, unlike trigger point therapy, reduces the resting tension of the multifidus muscle in patients with non­specific lumbosacral pain. The mechanism of these changes requires further research. 3. Craniosacral therapy and trigger point therapy may be clinically effective in the treatment of patients with non-specific lumbosacral spine pain. 4. The present findings represent a basis for conducting further and prospective studies of larger and randomized samples.