CRANIAL
OSTEOPATHY
WHAT
IS IT?
Cranial
or Craniosacral Osteopathy is a very gentle treatment in which the
head, base of the spine and other areas are held while the therapist
feels for any abnormal tension or distortion and encourages the body
to re-balance itself. A
slow wave-like tension that passes through the body is examined and
balanced.
WHAT
CAN IT HELP?
It
may help children and newborn babies that have
sleep, feeding or behavioural problems as well as anyone that
doesn't like the "manipulative" approach. It may also be
helpful for headaches, stress and a variety of other conditions.
Please
note that as a small private profession, osteopaths are not able to
undertake extensive -and expensive - research into the effectiveness
of treatment for a wide range of conditions. Therefore this
list is to give you an example of conditions commonly presented to
osteopaths; it is not a claim that there is cast-iron scientific
evidence that osteopathy is proven to be of benefit, which would be
a breach of trading standards legislation.
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS:
Does
it hurt?
-
No, as no force is used there is no soreness after treatment.
Some people feel slightly light headed afterwards, most feel
very relaxed and want to sleep when they get home.
How
old does a child need to be to have cranial treatment?
-
Babies can be treated from birth!
Some osteopaths work in obstetric departments assessing
newborn babies, as the earlier any distortion or compression of the
baby’s head is relieved, the better they will develop.
Will
I need to get undressed?
-
No, cranial osteopathy is done through light clothing.
However, if the osteopath needs to assess a structural
problem such as a spinal curve you may need to undress to underwear
for the assessment.
Your
therapist is Peter Still BSc(ost).