Cranial Osteopathy deals with the small movements of the body.
It deals with the movements of the cranial bones (the bones that
make up the head, of which there are 29), the movement of the
membranes that surround the brain and contain the cerebral spinal
fluid, and the movement of the brain itself. These small movements
of the body structure effect every part of the body and can be
felt and manipulated from almost any part of the body being worked
on.
Cranial Osteopathy is very gentle (in fact most people don’t
feel themselves being worked on), and so means that it is the
treatment of choice for the very young, the infirmed and the elderly.
The first concepts of cranial osteopathy were made by Dr William
Garner Sutherland (1873-1954), an Osteopath from Missouri, U.S.A,
who despite nearly 20 years of research, had to wait until 1940
to have his ideas accepted. There has been a steady growth of
Osteopathspracticing this method of applying osteopathy ever since.
Almost all people can benefit from the use of Cranial Osteopathy
at some stage in their lives. This may vary from birth trauma,
both for the mother and the child, through the growing years,
and during our working life, particularly if there has been trauma
to the head….small trauma like dental work, through to major
head injuries following car accidents and the like.
During birth the bones of a babies skull are compressed and will
often overlap each other. Following the birth the bones will try
to reform into their normal positions to allow the inner movement
of the brain, the fluid and the containment membranes to take
place. Commonly not all the positions are how the body would like
it to be, and when this happens the body must now attempt to compensate
for these malpositions. These compensations will often cause the
baby to become unsettled in a variety of ways, as the babies body
tries to come to terms with the problems that exist. Some of these
problems may lead to colic, poor sleeping ability, poor feeding
ability or just crying or unsettled.
The Osteopath, working cranially, will locate the areas in the
babies body where the problems exist, and facilitate the babies
body to release these areas of tension and take away the bodies
compensations that are causing the problems. The baby should be
more relaxed and a far happier child.
Glue ear in children responds very well to cranial work, likewise
many conditions that need the immune system to be at best. Things
like tonsillitis, colds, and stomach problems like colic
and reflux all are much helped by getting the babies system working
at its best.
The number of treatments will depend on the problems that the
Osteopath finds when the child is examined. Some children need
only minimal treatment and others require quite extensive treatment.
Many children have problems that are corrected following birth
but as the child goes through growth spurts the bone’s movements
again become restricted and they may need further follow up treatments.
As a general rule, if a growth spurt occurs and the child departs
from their normal cheerful self for a period greater than a week,
then it is probably a good idea to get their heads checked. A
check is also a good idea if the child receives a blow to the
head, and although shows no physical signs of injury, is just
‘not themselves’.
When an injury occurs to a person, not only do the physical bony
structure and the musculature get compromised but also the more
interconnected structures, the fascia, and the membranes and nerves
all become involved in the problem. Following the normal structural
adjustment, the tissue and nerve conditions often need to be addressed,
and cranial osteopathy is well suited to do this as it allows
the body to regain its normal equilibrium in the shortest period
of time.
Following childbirth the mother’s body will often need attention
due to the strains it has under gone during labour and postnatal
conditions like ‘baby blues’ respond very well to
cranial osteopathy.
Tooth and jaw pain following dental work is another area that
responds to the gentle treatment of cranial osteopathy as does
any post surgery conditions that often don’t have a regular
explanation in terms of the amount of residual pain. Trigeminal
pain can often be relieved through cranial treatment, as in many
cases it is the nerve path along the inside of the skull bones
that is causing the problem.
Any major trauma that occurs to the head, including whiplash
or broken bones needs to have the cranial side of the injury addressed.
When you consult an osteopath about your problem, you can expect
the osteopath to take a normal case history, but the practitioner
may ask several questions regarding injuries that have occurred
in the past, what you can recall about your birth….(apart
from you being there), and ask about any medication you may be
on.
In terms of a cranial examination, the osteopath will usually
gently hold the head and feel how the body responds to the compensations
that every person has. The osteopath will be feeling the slight
movement of the bones, the way the membranes move, and the flow
of the spinal fluid as it circulates around the brain. Most people
feel very little as the process takes place, this is because the
movement that is being felt is the actual rhythm of your own body
and the Osteopath is working in harmony with this. Once the Osteopath
has determined where the problem is manifesting itself, they will
give you an explanation of this and explain how they propose to
treat the problem.
After explaining what has been found and how it is proposed to
treat the problem, the treatment is similar to the initial examination
process except that instead of just following the movement and
quantifying it the Osteopath will now facilitate the patients
body to correct the situation as far as it can. This will take
some time as the practitioner has to work with the constraints
of the patients system and doesn’t try to force anything.
The patient usually feels very little of what is going on in their
body as the systems are working together to correct the situation.
After the treatment has finished the body will continue to make
changes within itself for quite some time as all the membranes
and tissues resolve their long held tensions. Long held problems,
or problems that are multifaceted may take several treatments
to resolve.
If the condition is the result of a specific injury within the
past 12 months, then an ACC
Injury Claim form should be filled out and submitted by your Osteopath.
Cranial Osteopathy is considered an advanced technique that is
usually acquired after the osteopath has been in practice for
some time and has usually done some post graduate study to gain
experience. One of the post graduate courses offered is carried
out by the Sutherland Cranial Teaching Foundation, a nonprofit
organization devoted to the study and propagation of the work
begun by Dr Sutherland.
Members who have achieved a standard that is acceptable to this
group and have joined the organization usually have the letters
Mem. S.C.T.F. in their qualifications.
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What is Cranial Osteopathy?
