CranioSacral therapy is a type of manual therapy that focuses on the skull, spine, and sacrum. It is said to be very gentle and can help relieve tension headaches, neck pain, anxiety, and stress.
Craniosacral therapy is also said to improve sleep quality and boost the immune system. If you are looking for a relaxing massage that can provide relief from a variety of issues, CranioSacral therapy may be right for you!
What is CranioSacral Therapy?
CranioSacral Therapy (CST) was pioneered and developed by osteopathic physician John E. Upledger following extensive scientific studies from 1975 to 1983 at Michigan State University, where he served as a clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics.
CST is a gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of a physiological body system called the craniosacral system – comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord.
Using a soft touch generally no greater than 5 grams, or about the weight of a nickel, practitioners release restrictions in the craniosacral system to improve the functioning of the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord.
Craniosacral therapists believe in the body’s ability to self-heal and can be effective for both children and adults.
By using a hands-on light touch on bodily membranes, CST can aid the body’s healing and regulation by releasing muscular tension, and pain, and setting the nervous system to equilibrium.
Everything in your body is connected through fascia, or connective tissue.
The fascia acts like spider web-like connections throughout the body that allow for stability, mobility, and attachment points for muscles.
Over time, fascia changes and can get restricted by misuse, disuse, overuse, disease, stress, trauma, or even genetics.
To counteract the effects of these fascia changes, Craniosacral therapist believes that a gentle hands-on approach to this restricted tissue can lead to softening, lengthening, less pain, and improved overall function.
What is Conditions Can Cranial Sacral Therapy Help?
By complementing the body’s natural healing processes, Craniosacral therapy is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease and is effective for a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and dysfunction, including:
- Chronic pain.
- Fibromyalgia.
- Migraine headache.
- Complex regional pain syndrome.
- Fascial adhesions.
- Multiple sclerosis.
- Neuralgia.
- Neurodegenerative diseases.
- Temporo-mandibular joint syndrome.
- Stroke.
- Post-concussion syndrome.
- Speech impairment.
- Epilepsy.
What can I expect from a craniosacral therapy (CST) session?
When you arrive for your appointment, your practitioner will ask you about your symptoms and any preexisting conditions that you have.
You’ll typically remain fully clothed during the treatment, so wear comfortable clothing to your appointment.
Your session will last about an hour, and you’ll likely begin by lying down on your back on the massage table.
The practitioner may begin at your head, feet, or near the middle of your body.
Using five grams of pressure (which is about the weight of a nickel), the provider will gently hold your feet, head, or sacrum to listen to their subtle rhythms.
If they detect it’s needed, they may gently press or reposition you to normalize the flow of the cerebrospinal fluids. They may use tissue-release methods while supporting one of your limbs.
During the treatment, some people experience different sensations. These may include:
- feeling deep relaxation
- falling asleep, and later recalling memories or seeing colors
- sensing pulsations
- having a “pins and needles” (numbing) sensation
- having a hot or cold sensation
Side Effects and Risks of Craniosacral Therapy
While the benefits of Craniosacral therapy are vast and numerous, it is not for everyone. Patients with the following should NOT receive CST:
- Increased intracranial pressure
- Acute stroke
- Aneurysm
- Hemorrhage
- CSF leak
- Spina bifida
- Arnold Chiari Malformation
- Skull fracture
- As always, talk to your physician or a general practitioner if you are interested in CST or if you are not sure if Craniosacral therapy is right for you.
Book A Craniosacral Appointment
If you’re looking for a Craniosacral therapy practitioner, we can help. Our team of expert practitioners offer Craniosacral therapy sessions that can help you feel your best. To book an appointment, please call us at 204-294-9890 or book online
CranioSacral Therapest (CST) Liz Jones
The Anatomy of the Craniosacral System
As noted previously, the cranium is lined with dura mater which not only encircles the inner surfaces of the cranial bones but also folds in on itself creating the falx cerebri, tentorium cerebelli and the falx cerebelli otherwise known as the intracranial membrane (ICM).
The firm attachment of the falx cerebelli at the foramen magnm of the occiput continues inferiorly with attachments on the posterior bodies of C2 and C3.
It continues in the inferior direction without any attachments until it anchors at the S2 segment with other meningeal layers within the sacral canal.
The blended layers exit out of the sacral canal and continue as the external portion of the filum terminale fusing with the perio teum of the coccyx.
In addition, the dura mater extends out through the intervertebral foramina with the spinal nerves as the dural sleeves.
The dural sleeves attach to the vertebral bodies blending with the paravertebral fascial tissue.
These anatomical attachments help give credence to the continuity of the fascia and why craniosacral therapy has such far-reaching effects.
Enclosed within the CSS is the Cerebrospinal fluid circulating in the subarachnoid space of the meninges which is then absorbed through the pia layer of the meninges bathing the brain with nutritional elements necessary for proper brain function.
Production of the Cerebrospinal fluid occurs through the choroid plexus where it is filtrated from blood supplied by the choroidal arteries into the ventricles of the brain.
As previously noted, Cerebrospinal fluid supplies nutrition to the brain and spinal cord through its circulation in the subarachnoid space.
Fluid exchange occurs through an active transport mechanism that results in metabolic waste products being reabsorbed by the arachnoid granulations within the venous sinus system of the brain.
These waste products are emptied into the jugular vein. The widening of the cranial bones during the production of craniosacral therapy is referred to as the 6 flexion phase and the narrowing that occurs while production stops and draining continues is called the extension phase.
An important feature of Craniosacral therapy
The attention is given to the body’s fascial system since the dura mater is the core of this system. This scaffolding network has been and is continually being researched.
The most important facts relating to fascia from a craniosarcral therapest perspective are its tensile strength in the order of up to 7,000 pounds per square inch and its continuity throughout the body.
Restrictive patterns within the fascia translate their forces in unique ways throughout the system. These unique patterns of adaptation are thought to be related to the pre-lesional state prior to trauma such as a fall or car accident.
In other words, each trauma that the body is unable to dissipate will be adapted into the system in some way.
When the body is overwhelmed with trauma or unable to adapt further, pain and dysfunction occur.
Craniosacral therapy uses the palpation of the craniosacral system throughout the body to locate and treat these restrictive patterns.
Restrictions can reside within the cranium that over time are translated into distant parts of the body.
The opposite can occur as well. Restrictions in the head causing headaches may be related to fascial tensions within the mediastinal walls or respiratory diaphragm as this fascial plane continues in a superior direction as the pre‐vertebral fascia attaches onto the sphenoid within the cranial vault.
Wrap Up
If you’re looking for a new way to relax or seeking relief from pain or other chronic conditions, Craniolsacral therapy may be right for you! This gentle, hands-on treatment is increasingly being used as a preventive measure to bolster resistance to disease and as an effective treatment for a wide range of medical problems. Talk to your doctor or a licensed CST practitioner to see if it’s right for you.
