Cranial Therapy for Treating Headaches

If you suffer from constant headaches, you know that headaches can be so painful. So painful sometimes that most people experiencing them cannot sit still and will often pace up and down the room during an episode.

 

If you are one of these people, your toolkit must be full of emergency pain medications and caffeine, among other things. But have you considered seeing a doctor for cranial therapy? If not, here is what you need to know about cranial therapy and the benefit this treatment can have on your health.

 

What Is Cranial Therapy?

Cranial therapy (also called Craniosacral therapy (CST)), is a treatment method that uses gentle touch to treat chronic pain in the body. The treatment helps the body to heal itself by easing tensions deep in the brain and the spinal cord.

 

Using soft touches, chiropractors, physical therapists, and massage therapists soothe stiffness in the tissues inside the central nervous system. Massaging the bones in the brain and spinal cord makes the fluid that surrounds these organs flow with ease. Relaxing tensions that block the normal flow of the cerebrospinal fluid improves the body’s capacity to self-heal.

 

So, How Does Cranial Therapy Treat Headaches?

Cranial therapy works with the craniosacral system. This system consists of the cranium, spine, and sacrum. To break down the terms further, the cranium consists of bones that make up the head and enclose and protect the brain. The spine is the body’s main support structure, and the sacrum is the bone structure at the end of the spine that forms the pelvis and the lower back.

 

With all the interconnection, any imbalance in the brain or spine affects the entire craniosacral system. CST specialists are trained to seek out imbalances or tensions in the system and work with their hands to correct the issues found. When treating headaches, therapists massage throughout your head and spine. They do this to assess, determine, and trigger healing where there are subtle tensions that are risking your health.

 

Is Cranial Therapy an Effective Treatment for Headaches?

Strong scientific evidence supports CST as an effective treatment for headaches. It has shown effectiveness in soothing chronic headaches and depression, among other conditions.

 

After CST, people report sleeping better than usual. Treatment could be once or twice a week until the head pain becomes more stable. Afterward, a person may graduate to a monthly treatment plan to sustain balance.

 

Can Cranial Therapy Be Harmful?

CST is non-invasive and has a very low potential for harm. But patients who have undergone CST report feelings of light-headedness. These result from the state of intense relaxation that comes after the therapy that also brings about an emotional release by way of internal body sounds or crying.

 

These feelings of relaxation come as a result of a supposed increase in endorphins in the body. All the same, many people prefer CST to prescription medicines that come with more side effects.


 

For more information on cranial therapy for treating headaches or to book an appointment today, call The California Cranial Institute in Los Gatos, California at (408) 395-8006.