In the previous post we talked about the concept of pressures in the different cavities of the human body.

We had commented that the four "main" cavities are: the pelvis, abdomen, thorax and the skull.

Let's imagine them as 4 balloons joined vertically (one on top of the other).

If the pressure increases in any of these cavities, mechanical and fluid circulation imbalances are generated in the body.

We will give a clear example of how liver dysfunction can generate sciatica (pain in the path of the sciatic nerve):

The liver receives venous blood from the abdominal viscera through a large vein, called the portal vein.

We could imagine this vein as "a hose that is somewhat tight", because when entering the liver there is a certain tension in the surrounding tissues (this increases the pressure of the abdomen).

Due to the above, a phenomenon called collateral circulation occurs: venous blood begins to circulate through other smaller veins, to compensate for this circulatory deficit (remember that they are micro deficits, there is no pathology).

This collateral circulation occurs mainly at the level of some veins that surround the rectum (the final part of the colon).

These veins (hemorrhoidal) when dilated produce inflammation in the sacrum area (the last 5 vertebrae of the column), influencing the nerve roots that come out of it, and can generate sciatica (predominantly on the left side).

For all of the above, the visceral approach is fundamental within osteopathic treatment, since the organs and their tissues can generate dysfunctions and imbalances in the body system.