Craniosacral Therapy

Chronic pain and injuries are difficult on people as the pain is present consistently and has been ingrained into compensations due to how you are moving. Cranial Sacral Therapy can help diminish that chronic pain.

What is Craniosacral Therapy?

Craniosacral Therapy is a treatment technique based on light touch. The goal of Craniosacral therapy is to improve the Craniosacral rhythm and decrease fascial tension.

What is Craniosacral rhythm?

Craniosacral rhythm is a movement of spinal fluid. The spinal fluid surrounds structures like the brain and spinal cord. This fluid has a pulse of rhythm, much like your blood has a rhythm/pulse. This rhythm is very soft but when trained to feel it, one can assess different areas of the body, compare each side and assess for differences. The rhythm may be too fast, not there at all, or it may move more in one direction than the other direction; all of the above would indicate dysfunction.

What is Fascial tension?

Fascial tension is tightness in tissue. Fascia is a type of connective tissue that is under the skin, and runs in planes all around the body attaching to different structures including the skin, bone, muscles, nerves, ect. Think of it like a 3-D spider web. If the fascia gets tight or restricted it creates an issue locally, but can also have a global affect on the body. A local restriction in the fascia is like a kink in a chain, or a wrinkle in clothes, and it can cause kinks or wrinkles elsewhere because of how it is connected.

How can such light touch affect changes in pain and in the tissue?

Craniosacral uses light touch, because too much pressure pushes past the fascia and into deeper tissue; the light touch releases and "unwinds" the fascia. This can help make local and global changes to a person's pain or symptoms. The treatment is very relaxing and therefore, can decrease the patient's sympathetic, "Fight or Flight " response system that is contributing to their pain and tightness. Craniosacral has been used to treat headaches, concussions, chronic neck and back pain, and pain from motor vehicle accidents.

If you are in chronic pain come and see one of our cranial sacral trained physical therapists at FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers and let us help get you out of the cycle of pain!

Written by Danna Smith, PT, DPT, COMT