CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY
Craniosacral Therapy
Background
CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle, hands-on approach that releases tensions deep in the body. It relieves pain and dysfunction and improves whole-body health and performance. Osteopathic Physician John E. Upledger pioneered this method after years of clinical testing and research at Michigan State University where he served as professor of Biomechanics.
Cranial Therapy uses a soft touch which is generally no greater than 5 grams – about the weight of a nickel. With this gentle pressure, practitioners release restrictions in the soft tissues that surround the central nervous system. CST is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease, and it is effective for a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and dysfunction.
We incorporate CST into many of our chiropractic and therapeutic massage techniques as it is relevant to so many conditions.
Benefits of Treatment
Few structures have as much influence over the body’s ability to function properly as the brain and spinal cord that make up the central nervous system. The craniosacral system influences the central nervous system through the membranes and fluid that surround, protect and nourish the brain and spinal cord.
Every day your body endures stresses and strains for which it must compensate. Unfortunately, these stresses often cause body tissues to tighten and distort the craniosacral system. These distortions can then cause tension to form around the brain and spinal cord resulting in restrictions. This creates a barrier to the healthy performance of the central nervous system, and potentially every other system it interacts with.
Fortunately, such restrictions can be detected and corrected using simple methods of touch. With a light touch, the CST practitioner uses his or her hands to evaluate the craniosacral system by gently feeling various locations of the body to test for the ease of motion and rhythm of the cerebrospinal fluid pulsing around the brain and spinal cord. Soft-touch techniques are then used to release restrictions in any tissues influencing the craniosacral system.