Jean Anne Zollars
Physical Therapy
Visceral Manipulation (VM)
Visceral Manipulation is a gentle, hands-on therapy that helps your organs and their blood supply move more freely. When organs move better they function better and place less strain on nearby muscles and joints.
How it works: Using light, precise touch, I assess how the involved organ moves and where it may be restricted. By gently freeing these restrictions, we reduce strain on surrounding tissues and help the body rebalance itself. To learn more: www.barralinstitute.com
Visceral Manipulation can help:
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Neck, shoulder, hip, or back pain linked to organ tension
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Reflux, constipation and digestive discomfort
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Pelvic pain or urinary incontinence
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Chronic tension that hasn’t responded to other care
A woman with urinary incontinence improved as we restored mobility to her small intestine, uterus, bladder, and sacrum.
Manual Articular Approach (MAA)
Manual Articular Approach is a gentle, precise way to treat joints when they are painful or stiff. It focuses on all parts of a joint—bones, cartilage, capsule, tendons, nerves, blood supply, and fluid.
How it works: I carefully “listen” to the joint and its surrounding tissues, then use very gentle, specific movements—often with your active participation—to ease tension without causing pain. Because joints are part of the whole body system, MAA is often combined with visceral and neuromeningeal manipulation. To learn more: www.barralinstitute.com
- Joint pain and stiffness
- Sprains and tendonitis
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Spinal disc and back problems
A 35-year-old man with right hip and knee pain improved in his pain and mobility with MAA for the right knee.
Myofascial Release Techniques
Fascia, or connective tissue is continuous throughout the entire body. It surrounds the muscles, bones, skin, organs, arteries, veins and nerves. It is like a spider web which continues from head to toe, superficial to deep, microscopic to macroscopic. Fascia envelops the muscle filaments, so that it is impossible to separate the muscles from the fascia. Tendons and ligaments are made up of fascia.
Myofascial release is a gentle hands-on technique which helps to release restrictions in the fascia and muscle. This process of lengthening of the tissues is guided and led by the fascia of the person. Myofascial release is used in conjunction with other manual therapies to help decrease pain, improve mobility and function.
Specialized Treatments
Neuromeningeal Manipulation (NM)
Neuromeningeal Manipulation is a gentle, hands-on therapy for the nervous system—the brain, spinal cord, and nerves in the arms, legs, trunk, and head. It helps nerves and their surrounding tissues move freely so they can communicate properly with the rest of the body.
How it works: I gently assess how specific nerves, brain or spinal cord and their coverings move, then free up areas of tension or adhesion. Because nerves connect the brain with organs, muscles, and joints, improving nerve mobility can ease pain and restore better function throughout the body. To learn more: www.barralinstitute.com
Neuromeningeal Manipulation can help:
Concussions, brain dysfunctions like cerebral palsy, strokes
- Nerve-related pain, tingling, or numbness
- Pain after falls, sprains, or surgeries
- Repetitive strain issues (like computer or mouse use)
- Chronic joint tension that hasn’t improved with other care
- Head, face, jaw, balance, or vision-related issues
A woman with shoulder pain after a fall improved when we treated the median nerve and part of the brachial plexus.
Craniosacral Therapy
Craniosacral therapy is a gentle hands-on technique which detects and re-aligns imbalances in the bony structures, soft tissues and the rhythmical flow of fluids throughout the craniosacral system. Craniosacral therapy was pioneered and developed by John E. Upledger, DO after years of clinical testing and research at Michigan State University. The craniosacral system extends from the bones of the cranium (skull, face and mouth) to the sacrum (tailbone). By re-aligning and rebalancing the craniosacral system, the brain and spinal cord are provided with the necessary nutrition from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The CSF is the fluid that is produced in the ventricles of the brain and flows around the brain and spinal cord.
Craniosacral therapy directly impacts the central nervous system, thus an imbalance in this system could contribute to sensory, motor or intellectual problems. Oftentimes, twists of the neck, spine and shoulders; abnormal cranial shaping, falls, accidents, sports injuries are part of a person’s experience. Many neurological and structural problems later in life originate in the stress of the birth experience. Craniosacral therapy can allow newborns to recover as quickly as possible from birth. Older children and adults can definitely benefit from craniosacral therapy. To learn more: https://www.upledger.com/
Neurodevelopmental Treatment
Neurodevelopment Treatment (NDT) is a treatment approach which was developed to treat underlying neuromotor deficits as well as posture and movement disorders. Atypical movement patterns are discouraged and more typical movement patterns are encouraged to improve function. The NDT therapist uses handling techniques to facilitate movement.
The emphasis of treatment is to promote function with improve alignment with weight shifting and postural activation. The child’s response to the handling is constantly assessed and the handling modified. Handling activities are then provided to the child’s caregiver for continuity at home.
NDT was developed by Karl and Berta Bobath in the 1950’s. NDT has been used worldwide to help many children and adults with neuromotor dysfunction, such as cerebral palsy and strokes.
