Cranial Therapy: A Manual Approach for Improved Health
ranial Therapy is a gentle hands-on therapy that can augment the health and regeneration of the nervous system, specifical- ly the brain and spinal cord. It corrects tension patterns in the head and strengthens the cranial rhythm, which can reduce many different symptoms, including headaches and learning challenges as well as behavioral disorders. It can be an important component of a treatment program for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Multiple Sclero- sis. It can be used for a variety of other issues, including aggressive behaviors, hypersensitivity to sound, attention deficit, tinnitus, and so much more. The cranial system houses our brain. Within the cranium, there is cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which nourishes the brain and provides immune support, and layers of tissue, called meninges, that surround the brain and protect it from trauma and infection.
C Motilities Provide Information on Health
For many years, the allopathic community believed that the su- tures (joints) of the cranium solidified at a young age and no longer moved. We’ve since learned that, using very gentle cranial therapy techniques, movement can be felt on the head. This movement is called a motility. Motilities or biologic rhythms are movements that represent the physiologic health of specific tissues and systems. One example of a motility is our pulse, which reflects the health of our arterial system. Feeling the pulse on different parts of the body provides us with information about the circulatory health of that part of our body. There are many different motilities that can be felt on the body. Manual therapists practicing Cranial Therapy will monitor a patient’s cranial rhythm as part of the therapy.
Founded in the Late 1800s The history of Cranial Therapy is derived from Cranial Oste-
opathy, which was founded by osteopath William Sutherland in the late 1800s. Dr. Sutherland recognized that the ends of a cranial bone located on each side of the head, called the temporal bone, were beveled. He hypothesized that the joint surfaces were beveled for a reason, “…beveled, like the gills of a fish, indicating articular mobility for a respiratory mechanism.” Dr. Sutherland identified an
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inhalation and exhalation movement (motility) in the cranium with a correlated movement at the sacrum. Since his discoveries, the field of cranial osteopathy and cranial
therapy has been furthered by many practitioners, including os- teopathic physician, John Upledger, who published a book on his version of cranial therapy, which he called Craniosacral Therapy – a discipline widely practiced today.
Integrative Manual Therapy: Increased Mobility, Decreased Pain, Better Health
Another developer who has contributed to the field of Cranial
Therapy is Sharon Weiselfish-Giammatteo, PhD, PT, IMT,C. Her brand of cranial therapy is part of a larger field of study called Inte- grative Manual Therapy (IMT). Integrative Manual Therapy is a field of manual medicine that follows an integrated systems approach. This system takes into account that the body is comprised of many different systems, such as the circulatory system, the connective tis- sue system, bone, muscle, organs, and so on. Any one of these systems can be compromised and lead to problems that can affect multiple systems. Practitioners who practice IMT, such as physical therapists, massage therapists, occupational therapists, chiropractic physicians, and others, use hands-on di- agnostics to determine which areas in the body are restricted, and which systems are involved in those regions. Implementing specific IMT techniques, which are chosen based on the manual diagnostics, can lead to improved mobility, decreased pain, and a greater level of health. Dr. Giammatteo’s doctoral studies focused on the adult neuro- logically impaired person as well as individuals who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. During her research she discovered how to influence deeper neurologic tissues using manual therapy and specifically, cranial therapy. Cranial therapy as presented in the field of IMT is very comprehensive. Dr. Giammatteo’s contributions to the larger field of Cranial Therapy include discovery of multiple differ- ent motilities or rhythms that relate to the cranial system, beyond the general cranial rhythm. In addition, she developed many reflexogen- ic techniques to address neurologic dysfunction. This form of cranial therapy addresses superficial structures, such as the cranial bones
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