Treatments

- Joint Mobilisation
- Stretching Techniques
- Trigger Point Therapy
- Cranial-Sacral Osteopathy
- Shock-wave Therapy
- Ultrasound Treatment
- Cold Laser / Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)

Cranial-Sacral Osteopathy

Cranial Sacral Osteopathy is a refined and subtle type of treatment that encourages the release of stresses and tensions throughout the body, including the head.?It is based on a number of findings about the body’s subtle physiology, such as the intrinsic ability of the body to heal itself and self-regulate. This ability expresses itself as the intrinsic mobility of all parts of the body. Restrictions in this mobility may affect the mechanisms of self-regulation and produce symptoms.?It is a gentle and yet extremely effective approach that may be used to treat a wide range of conditions in people of all ages, from birth to old age.?In response to physical trauma or emotional stress, the body’s tissues react. Any stresses, strains and tensions which remain in the body may affect its functions and give rise to problems over time. The effects can be both physical and emotional. This therapy provides an opportunity for the body to let go of its restrictive patterns and return to a normal mode of functioning.

When people think of circulation, the cardiovascular (blood) system usually comes to mind. However humans also have two other important circulatory systems: lymphatic, and craniosacral. Craniosacral Therapy is a type of bodywork that uses subtle palpation and intuitive "listening" to detect the movement and restrictions in the cerebrospinal fluid and various related structures to facilitate well-being. It is an excellent modality for clients who are limited by medications or physical conditions from receiving deep manual tissue work. Clients remain clothed, and no oil is used.

The craniosacral (or cranial-sacral) system is composed of the, cranium (skull), meninges, vertebrae (spine), cerebrospinal fluid and all the structures related to the production, reabsorption and containment of cerebrospinal fluid. According to the Ohio State University Medical Center[1], the craniosacral system has a rhythmic motion, normally between 6 to 12 cycles per minute, which helps propel cerebral spinal fluid throughout the central nervous system between the center of the brain, around the brain, down the spine to the sacrum. The 20 plus bones that comprise the skull and face fit together in such a way as to allow minute movement throughout life. This movement and relationship between the bones of the skull are essential to maintaining the normal pumping action of cerebral spinal fluid. A normally functioning cranial-sacral system is essential to a healthy central nervous system. Because the nervous system affects all other body systems, manipulation of the cranial-sacral system can influence all parts of the body.

Cerebrospinal fluid has many putative roles including mechanical protection of the brain, facilitation of pulsatile cerebral blood flow, distribution of peptides, hormones, neuroendocrine factors (now implicated in obesity) and other nutrients and essentials substances to cells of the body, and in turn wash away waste products. Cardiovascular dynamics are also affected by CSF pressure, as the flow of blood must be tightly regulated within the brain to assure consistent brain oxygenation.

Approximately 500 ml (over half a quart) of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced every day in the choroid plexus of the brain, and it circulates through the brain, through the spinal cord to the sacrum. CSF has a pulse, or variance in rate of flow, of its own, distinct from that of the heartbeat or the breath.

This pulse is said to be felt anywhere on the body by a sensitive practitioner, but most palpation is done on the head and sacrum. The touch used is very light and gentle, but because we are working with the fluid that facilitates constant nourishment, including chemicals which promote Alzheimer's Disease, and communication within the nervous system, Craniosacral Therapy may yield profound unwinding as if unraveling a tangled knot. This unwinding and releasing may be felt as a relief on both physical and emotional levels. Some postulate that a human Life Force (a.k.a. breath of life, or Qi) is the main fixture in healing and is transported via the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to all the tissues of the body. Thus, this fluid is involved in the healing of all of the major organs and organ systems of the body.

When disorders of CSF flow occur, they may therefore impact not only CSF movement, but also the intracranial blood flow, with subsequent neuronal and glial vulnerabilities. The venous system is also important in this equation. Infants and patients shunted as small children may have particularly unexpected relationships between pressure and ventricular size, possibly due in part to venous pressure dynamics. This may have significant treatment implications but the underlying pathophysiology needs to be further explored.

CSF connections with the lymphatic system have been demonstrated in several mammalian systems. Preliminary data suggest that these CSF-lymph connections form around the time that the CSF secretory capacity of the choroid plexus is developing (in utero). There may be some relationship between CSF disorders, including hydrocephalus and impaired CSF lymphatic transport.