continued participation in sport and exercise programmes by people as they age. In addition, although not strictly used within the sports or performance arena, craniosacral therapy is particularly well known for its benefits in babies and children.
CASE STUDY Lucy, a 40-year-old professional woman, attended my physiotherapy clinic, having recently sustained a Colles fracture of the wrist. The plaster had been removed a few weeks previously. She was suffering pain, loss of function and reduced range of movement in her wrist and hand, and she was unable to continue her work as an experienced therapist. Subjective assessment indicated that Lucy had a history of multiple horse-riding accidents since early childhood. Questions concerning Lucy’s past medical history included exploration of any recollection of heavy falls or injuries in the past. I included my awareness of this information in my planned programme of treatment, and the outcomes of treatment appeared to benefit from this inclusion, rather than a programme focusing entirely on the limb part that had suffered the most recent injury. Physiotherapy treatment approaches were selected to address apparent soft-tissue and postural adaptations to past injury, and to encourage mobilisation of the affected wrist. Progress, however, was extremely slow. In spite of diligent physiotherapy and good patient cooperation, it was 3 months before a phased return to work was possible for Lucy.
Six months after the wrist fracture, I conducted a craniosacral assessment with Lucy before a planned series of craniosacral therapy treatment sessions. The subjective gathering of information in a craniosacral therapy assessment tends to be more detailed than that in a conventional physiotherapy subjective assessment: I found out that she was born 6 weeks’ premature, experienced family breakdown at a young age and underwent major orthodontics designed to correct a bite pattern. She regularly experienced severe and persistent temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain accompanied by a painful neck, with muscle spasms occurring when she sneezed. Some months after starting craniosacral therapy, Lucy reported a general improvement in her wrist, accompanied by improvements in her knees, ankles and hips and an increased sense of wellbeing.
CONCLUSION In this article I have aimed to show some of the relationships between physiotherapy and craniosacral therapy, how craniosacral therapy can treat a range of conditions, and how craniosacral therapy can be relevant to sports and performance activities. There is a special-interest group of physiotherapists known as the Craniosacral Association of Chartered Physiotherapists – more information about this group can be found on the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy’s website (
www.csp.org.uk). However, many other craniosacral therapists come from other occupational backgrounds.
References 1. Simons DG, Travell JG, Simons LS. Myofascial pain and dysfunction: the trigger point manual, Vol. 1, 2nd edn. Williams & Wilkins 1998.
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ISBN 0683083635 2. Chaitow L, Delany JW. Clinical application of neuromuscular techniques, Vol. 1. Churchill Livingstone 2000. ISBN 0443062706. 3. Chaitow L. Positional release techniques, 2nd edn. Churchill Livingstone 2000. ISBN 0443070814 4. Wilson E. Integrated soft touch techniques: trigger points, pain and muscle tone – a two day course in needle-free intervention in somatic pain syndromes 5. Speece CA, Crow WT. Ligamentous articular strain: osteopathic manipulative techniques for the body. Eastland Press 2001. ISBN 0939616319.
FURTHER READING Kern M. Wisdom in the body: the craniosacral approach to essential health. Thorsons 2001. ISBN 0722537085.
THE AUTHOR
Penny Nisbet, MCSP RCST, is a chartered physiotherapist and registered craniosacral therapist. She has wide experience in physiotherapy practice spanning many years, having first qualified as a physiotherapist in 1969. She works part time in
the NHS in a GP’s practice and is currently developing a private practice based at her own home in Symington, South Lanarkshire. She recently completed a 2-year diploma in craniosacral therapy at the College of Cranio-Sacral Therapy (CCST) headed by Thomas Attlee (
www.ccst.co.uk), attending monthly training weekends, completing regular assignments and passing final examinations that consisted of practical and written elements. She is particularly interested in the integration of craniosacral therapy within physiotherapy.
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sportEX dynamics 2009;20(Apr):7-10
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