Craniosacral therapy manipulates the bones of the skull to treat a range of conditions, from headache and ear infection to stroke, spinal cord injury, and cerebral palsy. For decades various forms of cranial manipulation have been used to improve overall body functioning, and today craniosacral therapy is getting approval by health professionals worldwide as a successful treatment modality.

  Every one of us is familiar with the body's cardiac rhythm (heartbeat) and respiratory rhythm (breathing). Yet there is a third and equally important rhythm known as the craniosacral rhythm that results from the increase and decrease in the volume of cerebrospinal fluid within and around the craniosacral system.

  Cranio refers to the cranium, or head, and sacral refers to the base of the spine and tailbone. The craniosacral system is comprised of the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system); the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord; the surrounding meninges (membranes) that enclose the brain, spinal cord, and cerebrospinal fluid; and the bones of the spine and skull that house these membranes.

  There is a rhythmical motion in the craniosacral system created by the rise and fall of cerebrospinal fluid pressure. An increase in this pressure occurs as cerebrospinal fluid filters from the bloodstream and enters the craniosacral system, causing a predictable movement of the cranial bones. The pressure reduses as the cerebrospinal fluid is reabsorbed into the bloodstream through the inner membranes of the brain, allowing the bones to return to their original position. The cranial therapist monitors this wavelike motion to determine any limitation or dysfunction in the craniosacral system. This subtle rhythm ranges from six to ten cycles per minute, and is for the most part unaffected by the heart and respiratory rhythms.

  A cranial therapist "palpate," or feel with his hands, the motion of the craniosacral system as a unified, integrated movement. The touch is extremely gentle and sensitive, and one is able to diagnose the movement of the system as a whole by locating critical points of restriction in the cranium.

  Limitations that result from injury, inflexibility of the joints of the spine and cranium, or from dysfunctions in other parts of the body, can all cause abnormal motion in the craniosacral system. The abnormal motion leads to stresses in the cranial mechanism which can contribute to dysfunction and poor health, especially in the brain and spinal cord. The purpose of craniosacral therapy is to enhance the functioning of this important system.