Cranial Sacral Therapy (CST) is a component of Osteopathic Manual Treatment (OMT). CST involves assessing the rhythmical pressure fluctuation or cranial flow of the cranial bones and sacrum (tail end of the spinal cord). Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) is produced in the brain and then reabsorbed to prevent pressure building within the craniosacral system. If for some reason the body is unable to keep this rhythmic flow of production and reabsorption (often from accident, trauma from any point in life) the Central Nervous System is affected, due to its boundaries enclosed within the craniosacral system. 

Up until 1924, it was taught that the bones of the head fused together and were immovable. Dr. Sutherland, Doctor of Osteopathy (DO), proved this theory to be wrong by testing it on himself. He explored what would happen when different bones of the head were induced into compression and the effects that caused. He kept a journal of his findings, as did his wife, recording his mood, if he kept consciousness and even changes in appetite that would shift based on different areas of the head that were being compressed. Through self-experimentation Dr. Sutherland was able to conclude that every part of the body is there for a reason and is there with motion and fluid for function.    

The craniosacral rhythm can be felt on any part of the body such as the feet, pelvis, arms, sacrum and head.  For example, to assess the craniosacral rhythm on your legs, rest your hands palms down on your thighs. Noticing what you feel under your hands. There will be a very slight movement where the leg is turning out, and then gently turning in. 

When I am assessing the sacrum some considerations I like to keep in mind are how does the sacrum move with each breath, is there a gentle rocking motion available, what is the wavelength of the flow (this can vary from being a strong vibration, to a slow wave or even very faint, we may describe it as stuck in the mud).  

The cranial bones all move in a direction of flexion (the head filling with CSF) and extension (emptying of CSF) and this continues in an endless loop of a pressure system feedback (think thermostat on your wall, turns on when it’s cold, turns off when it reaches the set temperature, until it cools off to turn on again). The bones of the face also follow the CSR. 

In a Manual Osteopathic Assessment, the motion capacity and rhythm are felt to understand what part of the cranium may need treatment and how that relates to other patterns seen in the body that day. 

Benefits:

Craniosacral Osteopathy is a very relaxing and gentle form of treatment that does especially well in helping to treat the nervous system by balancing out the autonomic branches of sympathetic and parasympathetic. A heightened nervous system creates extra cortisol (stress hormone) which becomes an inflammatory marker in the body. (Note: Cortisol is a very helpful hormone to us when it’s in balance with the rest of our body, it’s only when it becomes in excess from stress does it induce inflammatory reactions). 

Try it yourself: Video to Release the Jaw and improve cranial flow and drainage of the cranium. 

In the video I demonstrate how to release your temporomandibular joint (TMJ), part of the cranial bones. We will be taking the joint into ease, taking all pressure off the muscles and capsule, and holding here with the breathe.  Then gentle bringing the joint in a downwards motion to release the mandible from the joint and then slightly forwards towards the chin (or front) to realign the joint with the capsule.  

This video also includes an exercise called cranial pumping that you can do at home when you need more blood to the head, increase clarity and to help improve your overall system flow.  Place one hand on the occipital bone at the back of the head (above the neck), and one hand on your forehead. The fingertips of your hands will face each other, gently bring the finger tips together as the head moves into flexion and then away for extension.  Don’t worry you can’t do it wrong, just start pumping the hands slowly and comfortably with zero grams of force in your fingers (think touching a newborn baby – GENTLE HANDS). Close your eyes and breath. Stay here for 1 – 2 minutes and see how you feel!

On episode 71 of Osteocast Amanda and I share our experience at the Upledger Craniosacral Course. You can listen to the podcast on apple, spotify and anchor: https://linktr.ee/OsteoCast 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, info@smtosteopath.com.

A quick history – overview where did the idea of using ice or heat on an injury even start?

– 1978 the acronym RICE was formed to help us remember to Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate.

– 1998 this was adjusted to PRICE, protection, meaning to protect the injured area from undergoing more inflammation by injuring too soon again.

– 2012 POLICE was released as Protection, Optimal Loading, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. To the naked eye it’s obvious that ice brings down inflammation, but it was also beginning to be understood that using the injured structure in the proper way (proper loading) would aid in the recovery of injury and limit compensation patterns that often occur when an injury is not treated. 

Thus far it appears ice reduces swelling… but why does the inflammation process exist in the body?

Picture 1 is my sprained wrist (I fell off my bike a few summers back, note to self, unclip your feet when you get to a stop light!).  My wrist was very swollen after fall, almost double in size. The inflammation process started after the fall due to too much pressure put on the wrist that resulted in bruised tissues and broken blood vessels.  The wrist became swollen within a few hours of injury as the beginning steps towards healing. That’s correct, inflammation is an immune response to clean up the damaged tissues in the body by releasing macrophages that breakdown dead cells and release Insulin-Growth Factor-1. IGF-1 promotes growth and diffusion in satellite cells (muscle stem cells), which on activation can re-enter the cell cycle to become myoblasts which turn into muscle cells.  IGF-1 can influence cell behaviour and type 1 collagen expression which helps form ligaments and tendons.

How incredible is the body! It moves into immediate action using inflammation as an autonomic response when there is injury that needs to be cleaned out and rebuilt.  As the founder of Osteopathy Dr. AT Still once said “The body has an innate ability to self-heal and self-regulate”.

Picture 2 shows how a blood vessel vasodilates (expands) due to chemical signals, these chemical signals can occur from injury that send signals to the body to begin the cascading events of inflammation. Picture 2 also demonstrates a constricted (smaller diameter) blood vessel, this is also due to chemical signals in the body, that can be caused by an external energy such as ice.  In general, ice will constrict blood flow to the area, whereas heat can increase blood flow by increasing the diameter of blood vessels.

If you have severe inflammation due to a break or a fracture, it’s extremely important you head straight for your medical doctor so they can assess the impact of injury and send for imaging to confirm the type of injury. Often, ice is highly recommended in such cases to help control pain and initially reduce the cascading inflammatory event that brings swelling and pain, due to irritation to the nerves in the areas.

Ice is not recommended past the initial time of injury, it’s important to allow the body’s natural healing process to occur to repair and function. After we know you do not have a break or fracture it’s important to get in to see your Manual Osteopath to open up the drainage pathways in the body to make sure the old blood and dead tissues can be removed to allow new blood to flow freely to the area to reduce recovery time and improve overall loading patterns through the body.  I will help you figure out what the optimal loading time is for the specific injury in question, whether you should use ice or heat.  Our initial focus in treatment is to make sure the drainage channels are open; the lymphatics are free of restriction to make way for new blood to promote healing.

Whatever you decide to use, ice or heat, remember that it will often only be only to make you more comfortable. Limit your use for only 10 minutes at a time to limit changing the chemical composition in the tissues with prolonged use of either cool or warmth.

On episode 53 of Osteocast we discuss the use of ice versus heat and how Osteopaths view injury and the necessary healing time. You can listen to the podcast on apple, spotify and anchor: https://linktr.ee/OsteoCast 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, info@smtosteopath.com.

Tune in to the Osteocast! 

Welcome to a Canadian Podcast about all things Osteopathy, functional anatomy and movement. Available on Itunes, Spotify and Anchor. 

Your hosts are three local Osteopathic Manual Practitioners in Ontario, Canada:

Colby (in Windsor), Amanda (in Fergus) & Sara (in Scarborough). 

My colleagues and I first met in 2014 at the Osteopathic College and spent 4 years sharing space, attending school and clinic together; we have been friends ever since.  Feel free to send us a message through Instagram @osteocast_ and you can listen to our podcast on your favorite streaming platforms: https://linktr.ee/OsteoCast.   We are releasing new episodes every Monday.

The Hounding Health Show is the health and wellness journey of George Chountalos, health and wellness coach.  I had the pleasure of providing George with a Manual Osteopathic treatment. Afterwards we sat down to discuss his treatment on his podcast; Hounding Health, his health journey. George’s focus is to get himself back to optimal health after neglecting his body for 365 days.  He has seeked the help of many different practitioners for treatment and health advice.  On the Hounding Health Show, we also discuss the origins of Osteopathy, who can benefit from hands-on Osteopathic treatment, the importance of balancing your nervous system, manifestation of one’s genes and what health means to me.  Please visit houndinghealth.com for a full breakdown of the show notes and to listen to the full podcast.   

Here’s a snippet of the interview from Hounding Health’s Youtube Channel: 

https://youtu.be/qaovh7rufB4