What should you know about manual visceral therapy?

A practitioner may assess breathing, abdominal wall tension, posture and how the trunk moves, then use light pressure or slow tissue contact. People may seek this approach for discomfort around the trunk or as an adjunct to movement rehabilitation. The technique should not be presented as a way to diagnose or manually reposition an internal organ.

Abdominal or pelvic pain can arise from digestive, urinary, reproductive, musculoskeletal or other causes. A hands-on session must not delay assessment of new or unexplained symptoms. Musculoskeletal treatment may still be relevant when examination points toward the abdominal wall, spine or pelvis; related reading includes [Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction](/conditions/sacroiliac-joint-dysfunction/) and [Manual Therapy](/treatments/manual-and-manipulative-therapy/manual-therapy/).

Explain your symptoms, medical history, operations, pregnancy status, digestive or urinary changes, medicines and any recent injury. Ask who is providing the treatment and what clinical problem it is intended to address. You should be able to stop the examination or treatment at any time, and the practitioner should explain where contact will occur and obtain consent.

Use hands-on care only as part of a plan that includes appropriate medical review and functional goals. Keep track of pain, eating, bowel or bladder changes and movement rather than relying on a feeling of pressure release alone.

Seek urgent care for severe or rapidly worsening abdominal pain, a rigid or very tender abdomen, repeated vomiting, fainting, blood in vomit or stool, black stool, fever with marked illness, new jaundice, chest pain or difficulty breathing. New weakness, loss of bladder or bowel control or numbness around the groin also needs urgent assessment.

What diagnosis are we treating? Have internal causes of my symptoms been assessed? What evidence supports this technique for my situation? Are there reasons to avoid abdominal pressure? How will we measure useful improvement?