Hey its Allyson… I am here today to talk to you about what cranial sacral therapy is. I practice it a lot and I get this question a lot…
“What is cranial sacral work and how does it help?”
Cranial Sacral work is a holistic approach to treating the body consistent with our philosophy at CORE Therapy & Pilates. We look at the whole body not just your hip or foot because that’s what hurts. It is very light touch, primarily impacting the neurological system. It’s hands on manual work the whole time and I am using my hands to listen to what the body’s trying to tell me.
Your body is producing a fluid that bathes your brain, nerves and spinal cord then “leaks” out where the nerves exit the spinal column between the vertebra. As you are depleted of this fluid your body makes more. Its kind of like when you breathe, your body uses the oxygen and you exhale to get rid of waste then take in another breath.
Using extremely light touch, I look for asymmetries, decreased amplitude or quality of this cycle as well as areas of restriction. I can find the cranial rhythm throughout your body of the system making fluid and it leaking out,making fluid, then leaking out… this is the nutrition for the nervous system. This work has a powerful effect on the nervous system!
After a sessions, you end up feeling relaxed with less anxiety and stress, refreshed or “different”. You just feel so good! This enables you to do more.
Again, it’s really light touch which is nice for people that are averse to the harsher, harder types of manual therapy. At the end of it all you end up feeling light and less stressed and less weighed down.
An example is one woman who had knee pain and lower back pain at different times that lasted for a week to a month or more. She noticed at times of high stress the pain seemed to get worse. We began weekly cranial sacral sessions. She used to have a day every 2 -3 months of some knee or back pain but with the many techniques she has learned the pain does not last more than a day or 2. She was also able to travel without pain which she had avoided for several years. Now she has regained the ability to begin doing core stabilization exercises in Pilates classes, walk up and down stairs and rise from a chair with biomechanics that will prevent her knees and back from hurting. To summarize this case study, there was real physical things going on with her body but we’ve done a little cranial sacral work which calmed that nervous system down so then we were able to learn how to do exercise on top of that and things that would help fix the physical problems in her lower back and knees.
The other things that I have had a lot of people get better from is vertigo and migraines… HOW Many Of You Complain Of These Things?
I have used it on many children and adults with great success! It is a complement to other physical therapy techniques to speed up recovery. When I have had CST, I leave feeling like some structures are in better places, less tightness, incredibly relaxed and empowered to accomplish more. I have had clients tell me it caused them to quit snoring, improved general feelings of wellness for the week, helps them sleep, in addition to enabling them to perform exercises better. It is a very gentle technique and the benefits unravel for 24 – 48 hours after your session.
It has had dramatic effects on people of different ages and different issues that they’re dealing with. Cranial Sacral therapy can benefit anyone but I have seen the most dramatic effects with issues that are exacerbated by stress or anxiety.
So those are some of the examples of what it can do and how it works… if you have more questions feel free to call 512-215-4227 or click here to apply for a Discovery Session to discuss your Migraines, Vertigo, Anxiety or Stress.