Cranial osteopathy and CranioSacral Therapy (CST), which have become highly popular in recent years, involve subtle and gentle adjustments to the cranial or skull bones, and the sacrum or tail bone.
It is particularly suitable and effective for the treatment of infants and young children with developmental, learning and behavioural problems such as autism, attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Of course, adults can benefit from this form of osteopathic manipulation as well.
The current high level of interest in cranial osteopathy is due largely to Dr John Upledger (above), who, through The Upledger Institute, has widely promoted his version of the technique called CranioSacral Therapy or CST.
In the mid-1970s, Dr Upledger taught at the European School of Osteopathy in Maidstone, England.
Dr David Tio of Osteopathic Treatment Centre was a student at the European School of Osteopathy at that time, and he was among the early batches of students to study with Dr Upledger.
Cranial osteopathy itself was developed in the early 1900s by Dr William Garner Sutherland (below), one of the chief disciples of Dr Andrew Taylor Still, the man who founded osteopathy in 1872.
Dr Sutherland was the first to propose the idea (although Dr Still alluded to it) that the body's entire nervous system – including the skull – was in “constant rhythmic motion” and that this motion was crucial to health. When the movements were restricted, adverse symptoms would arise.
Dr Sutherland even tested the theories on his own head. When he deliberately created restrictions, he experienced symptoms such as depression, severe headaches or jaw pain. When he released those restrictions, the symptoms went away.
At that time, few believed him because the movements were very subtle and could only be felt by a person with highly sensitive hands.
Dr Sutherland was called a “heretic” and a “quack”.
It was only in the 1940s - some 40 years after he first proposed his theories – that Dr Sutherland's work began to gain wider acceptance among medical practitioners.
Today, highly sensitive computerised medical diagnostic equipment confirm that Dr Sutherland had been right all along. Dr Sutherland's theories are now accepted as medical fact.
Cranial Osteopathy is available at Osteopathic Treatment Centre. Our practitioners have studied at the European School of Osteopathy, which leads in the field of Cranial Osteopathy tuition in the UK.
Cranial treatment is effective for the treatment of all the conditions that benefit from regular osteopathic manipulation (see HOME page).
Because of the gentle nature of the treatment, however, it is especially beneficial for pregnant mothers and newborn infants after a difficult delivery. It is found to be very calming for infants and children with developmental disorders and learning difficulties, such as those suffering from autism.
