Reproductive Wellness ^TM Manual Visceral Therapy

Visceral manipulation and myofascial release for infertility and other dysfunctions or conditions of the pelvis.

Visceral manipulation is a manual therapy technique consisting of gentle, specifically placed manual forces that encourage normal mobility, tone and inherent tissue motion of the viscera, their connective tissue and other areas of the body where physiologic motion has been impaired. It is characterized by high precision and minimal force. Visceral manipulation is based on the principle that for an organ to be healthy and have optimal function there needs to be motion. A restriction, fixation or adhesion to another structure, no matter how small, implies functional impairment of the organ.

Tissues lose their normal motion when they become inflamed. The natural healing process involves local disruption of normal tissue fibers and their replacement with adhesions/scar tissue. Many factors can cause inflammation including: infections, direct trauma (surgery, falls, accidents, abuse, etc.,) repetitious movement, diet, environmental toxins and emotional stress.

Adhesions that typically cause Women’s health and fertility issues can result from events as simple as yeast or bladder infections. Abdominal, pelvic, hip and back surgeries frequently result in adhesions. Other conditions such as endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, post-infectious tubal damage, a ruptured appendix, ruptured ovarian cysts, bowel or bladder disease or foreign body reaction can cause adhesion formation.

Unfortunately, once adhesions form, they typically remain in the body for a lifetime. Adhesions may occur in pain-sensitive structures, or they may glue down reproductive structures without causing discomfort. Thus, any woman who has a history of any of the previously mentioned episodes or conditions may have adhesions that cause infertility, whether or not she experiences pain.

When adhesions form at the delicate female reproductive organs they can block fallopian tubes or adhere to the uterus or ovaries. Adhesions act like a strong glue. They can attach to the finger-like fimbriae of the fallopian tubes, preventing them from grasping the egg during ovulation. The fallopian tube must have complete freedom of movement to ensure that the properly prepared egg enters the path to the uterus, rather than becoming wasted in the abdominal cavity. Adhesions may cling to the uterine surface, making it less receptive to the implantation of a fertilized egg. They may even form between muscle cells within the cervix or uterus, causing difficulties with sperm transport or implantation.

Manual physical therapy treatment is designed to decrease adhesions and improve organ function for women with infertility, dysfunction and pain.

Research Supporting Physical Therapy for Infertility

Treating Female Infertility & Improving IVF Pregnancy Rates With a Manual Physical Therapy Technique

Treating Fallopian Tube Occlusion with Manual Physical Therapy