As a physiotherapist who uses craniosacral therapy (CST) techniques in my day-day practice I get asked this question a lot!
In a nutshell these techniques generally use light touch in order to release tensions deep in the body to relieve pain and dysfunction and improve whole-body health and performance.
Here is some information about the techniques I have trained in which is via the Upledger Institute.
CST assists in the flow of the fluid in which the brain and spinal cord sit (cerebrospinal fluid). It is this cerebrospinal fluid that helps nourish the central nervous system and removes its waste products: in doing so this optimizes nervous function.
What conditions does CST address?
CST can assist with a wide variety of conditions due to its holistic approach of optimizing the body’s function. Some common ones are:
What conditions does CST address?
CST can assist with a wide variety of conditions due to its holistic approach of optimizing the body’s function. Some common ones are:
- Migraines and headaches
- Chronic neck and back pain
- Stress and tension related disorders
- Motor-co-ordination impairments
- Infant and childhood disorders (eg colic, poor suck reflex)
- Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
- Chronic Fatigue
- Fibromyalgia
- TMJ syndrome
- Scoliosis
- Central nervous system disorders
- Learning disabilities
- ADD/ADHD
- Autism
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
- Orthopedic problems
- And many other conditions….
Who can benefit from CST?
As it is so gentle and uses the tissues as the main guide to the treatment, CST can be effective for people of all ages – from brand new born babies in the first hours of birth, to the elderly and anyone in between. It is particularly useful for people who tend to have adverse reactions to firmer methods of treatments.
What can I expect from a CST session?
Sessions generally start with a quick whole body “scan” to identify areas of restrictions.
Although gentle, the techniques may evoke pain or other uncomfortable feelings. This is all part of the tissue release process but should never feel “wrong” at the time. If so, you should inform the practitioner. The therapist may ask questions and begin to dialogue if the tissues require extra assistance to obtain a release. This is what we call somato-emotional release. Some techniques involve mouthwork, where the therapist puts on a glove and treats the cranial bones via the roof of the mouth.
Ideally a CST session would last 1 hour, however half hour follow up appointments are available – you may just need an extra session or two if you opt for the shorter appointment times.
CST sessions usually require some time in between sessions to allow the body to integrate the changes, generally 1-2 weeks. The number of sessions needed vary greatly but improvements can usually be seen after the first session already. Sometimes after treatments you can feel a bit light-headed, and generally a bit “wobbly”. If you are at all concerned please contact the clinic for advice.
In order to make more enquiries or to book an appointment with myself for CST please contact us at Willunga Physiotherapy, stating you are interested in craniosacral therapy.
Written by Miriam Bourne Physiotherapist.