CranioSacral Therapy

The Therapeutic value of the Craniosacral System

We are all familiar with the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Like them, the craniosacral system also influences many of the body’s functions. An imbalance in this system can adversely affect the brain and the spinal cord which can result in sensory, motor and intellectual dysfunction. The name craniosacral is derived from the system’s associated bones. Included are those of the skull, face and mouth – which make up the cranium - and of the spinal column which extends down to the sacrum. Membranes enclosing a hydraulic system connect the craniosacral system.

In the early 1900’s, as an osteopathic student in Kirksville, Missouri, Dr. William G Sutherland was struck by an idea. He saw that the bones of the skull were designed to provide for movement in relationship with each other. For more than 20 years he pondered the prospect of moveable bones in the adult skull. He performed experiments on himself with helmet-like devices designed to impose variable and controlled pressures on different parts of his head. His wife recorded the results of personality changes he displayed in response to different pressure applications; he described head pain, problems with coordination etc., related to the various pressures. In the early 1930’s, under a pseudonym in the Minnesota Osteopathic Journal, Dr Sutherland published his first article about his work. Based on his experiments, he developed a system of examination and treatment for the bones of the skull. With some patient success, Dr. Sutherland organized a small group of osteopaths who studied cranial work with him. His system became known as Cranial Osteopathy.

In the 1970’s, during surgery on a patient’s neck, Dr Upledger viewed the rhythmical movement of a membranous boundary of what appeared to be a hydraulic system. None of his colleagues nor any of the medical texts had an explanation for his observation that the dura mater, the outer layer of the meningeal membranes, in the neck visibly moved in and out at about 10 cycles per second. He concluded that the pressure in the membrane sac was fluctuating rhythmically. Two years later Dr Upledger attended a seminar which explained Dr Sutherland’s ideas and taught some of his evaluation and treatment techniques. Coupling his scientific background with a tactile sensitivity, Dr Upledger was quick to understand how a hydraulic system might function inside a membranous sac encased within the skull and the canal of the spinal column. He incorporated and refined Dr Sutherland’s techniques with success.

For 20 years, osteopathic physician and surgeon John Upledger has been the chief proponent of using the craniosacral system to evaluate and treat medical problems associated with pain and dysfunction. His research and clinical work with the craniosacral rhythm has led to the development of CranioSacral Therapy (CST), a light-touch manipulative approach which as been effective with poorly understood dysfunctions, chronic pain, lowered vitality and recurring infections.The positive effect of CST relies to a large extent upon the patient’s natural self-corrective physiological activities. The therapist’s light, hands-on approach assists the hydraulic forces inherent in the craniosacral system to improve the internal environment. Because of its influence on many bodily functions, CST is used by a wide variety of healthcare professionals including osteopaths, medical doctors, physiotherapists, massage therapists and acupuncturists.