Lymphatic & Visceral Manual Therapy

Did you know that a staggering 80-90% of patients with musculoskeletal health disorders also experience lymphatic and/or visceral dysfunction? It's time to dive in!

They may have gone unnoticed, but now you have the chance to uncover these critical issues.

Join us to learn how to screen, assess, and treat these dysfunctions, ensuring your treatments lead to improved movement and pain relief in the musculoskeletal system!

LVMT is a course that spotlights the often-overlooked influence of lymphatic and visceral systems on musculoskeletal health, integrating foundational anatomy reviews and hands-on, live instruction to identify, treat, and reinforce improved function. By bridging pre-class lectures with practical assessments and interventions, this program empowers practitioners to recognize unaddressed factors in movement and pain, enhancing both diagnostic clarity and long-term musculoskeletal recovery.

Don't miss out! Just make sure you've taken the SFMA Level 1 course (systematic assessment and diagnosis) to get started!

A 2-part pre-course video is delivered as a pre-requisite to the live event.

Course Objectives

Learn or review the basic anatomy and function of the lymphatic and visceral systems.
Learn or review some of the critical factors that are required for normal function of the lymphatic and visceral systems.
Understand how these factors are related to movement and pain within the musculoskeletal system.
Perform baseline movement assessments to get an up-to-date movement diagnosis.
Perform a basic lymphatic and visceral assessment.
Learn how to treat the lymphatic and abdominal viscera.
Listen and feel for the tells of a change in behaviour of the lymphatic and nervous systems.
Reassess the musculoskeletal system’s behaviour.
Learn reinforcing strategies and exercises to maintain improvements in musculoskeletal health that support lymphatic and visceral manual therapy.

Part 1: Pre-course online presentation, quizzes and reflective learning through references

In Part 1, participants engage with a self-paced, two-part online lecture—totaling just over an hour—that lays out the essential anatomy and function of the lymphatic and visceral systems. For some, this material will introduce entirely new concepts; for others, it serves as a vital refresher to frame their upcoming live training. Throughout these sessions, learners examine the critical factors necessary for optimal lymphatic and visceral health, with a focus on how these systems influence movement and either exacerbate or alleviate musculoskeletal pain.

Duration:

1 hours, plus extra time the student chooses when reading further references.

Assessment:

Short answer, true/false, and multiple-choice questions that reflect a concise, well-considered understanding.

Part 2: The live course 🔴 🎓 👩‍🏫

1. Course Description 📝

The live class builds on foundational knowledge by transitioning into practical application. Participants begin with baseline movement assessments to establish an up-to-date functional diagnosis, laying the groundwork for targeted interventions. Through hands-on practice, they explore fundamental lymphatic and visceral evaluations and learn to treat the lymphatic and abdominal viscera effectively. Emphasis is placed on recognizing subtle shifts in the lymphatic and nervous systems, using tactile feedback and observational skills. The session culminates with reassessments of musculoskeletal behavior and the introduction of reinforcing strategies and exercises designed to sustain the benefits of manual therapy. This applied approach equips participants with the ability to integrate lymphatic and visceral therapies into a comprehensive framework for improving movement and overall musculoskeletal health.

2. Learning Outcomes 🎯

By the end of the LVMT course, participants will be able to:

Perform baseline movement assessments to get an up-to-date movement diagnosis.
Perform a basic lymphatic and visceral assessment.
Learn how to treat the lymphatic and abdominal viscera.
Listen and feel for the tells of a change in behaviour of the lymphatic and nervous systems.
Reassess the musculoskeletal system’s behaviour.
Learn reinforcing strategies and exercises to maintain improvements in musculoskeletal health that support lymphatic and visceral manual therapy.
Coach, cue, and educe mobility changes to movement patterns using various drills, exercises, and techniques, with improving feedback, cueing, and dosage.
Be able to articulate a modern diagnosis of function that includes lymphatic and visceral behaviour as barriers to acceptable and desirable function, based on a cluster of clinically sensitive and specific symptoms and signs.
definition and purpose of “the pillar” as it relates to rehabilitation, exercise, and sports performance.
Demonstrate balanced efficiency in a subjective history process with the effectiveness of information gathering to inform subsequent assessment and treatment planning.
Apply functional breathing techniques to reduce symptoms and change signs related to painful and dysfunctional movement patterns with lymphatic and visceral contributing factors.

3. Goal/Rationale for the Course 🙌

Refine subjective history-taking to minimize false negatives, to facilitate learning and ensure all educational objectives are met.
Raise conscious instructing and competency for students of manual therapy, rehabilitation, exercise, and sports performance.
Increase acknowledgment of the lymphatic and visceral systems as potential limiting factors in functional competence.
Confront errors in manual therapy and exercise culture by improving understanding of the lymphatic and visceral systems as regionally dependent systems for movement skills.
Enhance students’ ability to assess the lymphatic and visceral systems and improve the client’s movement skills for rehabilitation, exercise, and sports performance.

4. Content 📚

A review of the function and anatomy of the lymphatic and visceral systems and their relationship to the musculoskeletal system
1:1 movement assessment
Palpation of skin viscera lesson and practical
Palpation of key lymphatic zones lesson and practical
Common findings at the spine related to lymphatic and visceral dysfunction
Manual therapy interventions
Exercise interventions

5. Student Responsibilities 🤝

Arrive on time, attend all lectures, and actively engage as both instructor/clinician and patient/client.
Fully participate in all drills, instruct peers, and read/study references diligently.

6. Optional Student Tasks 🤝

Discussion & Writing: Engage in group discussions; write clear analyses and syntheses of exercise drills.

7. Duration ⏱

14 hours