Discover CranioSacral Therapy for Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injuries

What is a Concussion or Traumatic Brain Injury?

Depending on the amount and direction of the force, vasculature to the brain tears and internal bleeding occurs. Also damaged are the neurons, neural centers, and glial tissue which support the various brain structures. Repeated blows to the head, at any age, can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (brain damage or malfunction). Symptoms may not show up until later in life. This is referred to as post-concussion syndrome.

Symptoms are wide-ranging and can affect an individual in a variety of ways. Physically, there may be headaches, neck pain, as well as other seemingly unrelated pain syndromes and system disorders. For example, damage to the pituitary gland or surrounding tissues may affect endocrine (hormone) function. Other common physical symptoms include dizziness, tinnitus, double vision, sleep disorders, and fatigue.

Emotionally and behaviorally, a person may become more irritable and aggressive. Anxiety. depression, apathy, and other personality changes may also occur.

Cognitive dysfunction may exhibit itself with difficulties in concentration and memory.

Why do Concussions and Traumatic Brain Injuries Require a Full Body Treatment Approach?

All of the major systems in the body—musculoskeletal, nervous, circulatory, digestive, and visceral (organs) - are enveloped in connective tissue called fascia. Characteristics of a healthy connective tissue system are flexibility, elasticity, length, and resilience. This tissue absorbs and responds to stress, injury, surgery, illness, poor posture, emotional trauma, and everyday gravitational force. Any of these factors will immediately, or over time, cause an imbalance in the connective tissue system. This imbalance is seen as a shortening, thickening, and dehydration of the tissue, which impairs muscle function and joint mobility, along with affecting the function of organs and the systems of the body.

Tension patterns form through the fascial network deep within the body, creating a cascade of effects far from their sources, for which the body will have to compensate. This creates fixed, abnormal points of tension that the body must move around. This chronic irritation gives way to functional and structural problems. This is usually experienced as pain, decreased flexibility, impaired movement, and dis-ease of varying sorts.

Because of the continuous nature if these connective tissues, no distortion or imbalance can remain localized. For this reason, the initial cause of a person’s pain or dysfunction can often be far removed from the site of the symptoms. Consequently, any treatment to one areas may facilitate changes in other parts of the body. As the old song goes, the head bone is truly connected to the thigh bone.

How Will CranioSacral Therapy, Neural Manipulation, and Visceral Manipulation Benefit Me Now and Long-Term?

Many patients report experiencing immediate improvement after an integrative treatment utilizing these modalities. Commonly reported benefits include a reduction in headache pain, decrease in mental fogginess, improved mental clarity, increase in cervical range of motion, and improved feelings of well-being. When done correctly, these techniques often yield ongoing positive results with no negative side effects. Short-term benefits may occur in as few as one to five sessions, whereas long-term results may require more frequent or longer sessions. Recovery from a head injury is a complicated process that does not typically occur overnight. When CST, NM, and VM are incorporated consistently throughout the rehabilitation process, long-term benefits and the potential of full recovery are maximized.

The prevalence and seriousness of concussions and head injuries has reached a heightened awareness among professional, amateur and student athletes. As reports of headahces, memory loss, depression, sleeplessness, and debilitating pain mount, focus is being placed on effective treatment options.

Medical approach has been to detect and diagnose concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBI), with the standard of care being ‘watch and wait,’ unless surgery is required. New attention is being given to manual therapies capable of accessing and addressingthe vascular, structural and neurological tissues of the brain, as well as the far-reaching ramifications throughout the body.

Concussion affects the structures of the nervous system including the glial cells which are the glue or supporting matrix of the structures of the brain. This glial matrix is similar to the connective tissue called fascia. Trauma affects the bones of the cranium and the connective tissue lining the inside of the skull bones, as well as the sensitive brain tissue. It is suspected that the positive outcomes experienced with manual therapies, such as CranioSacral Therapy, Neural Manipulation, and Visceral Manipulation, in post-concussion syndrome are the result of affecting not only the cranial bones and the connective tissue inside these bones, but also the glial network attaching directly to the brain structures.

Effective Treatment

When Should I Include CranioSacral Therapy, Neural Manipulation, and Visceral Manipulation into My Treatment Protocol?

These manual therapies can be integrated into the treatment plan soon after injury with clearance from the primary physician. Integration of the treatment modalities is highly beneficial even years after the original injury. Clinical experience has shown great improvement for people—no matter when their injuries began.

Integrative Manual Therapies

Post-Concussion Syndrome and associated symptoms have been shown to clinically respond to CranioSacral Therapy (CST), Neural Manipulation (NM), and Visceral Manipulation (VM). These manual therapies continue to generate interest and scientific investigation as a viable adjunct in the care of individuals experiencing the adverse effects of post-concussion syndrome. These manual therapies affect the body deeply and assist the healing forces already at work. When the body is no longer bound by restriction along the fascial system, it can move with greater ease, readily adapt to its environment, and thus have a greater expression of health.

CranioSacral Therapy is a light-touch, whole-body treatment technique that works with the body’s craniosacral system to support and nourish the central nervous system — improving overall health and well-being. By freeing restrictions within the central nervous system, CranioSacral Therapy naturally reduces pain and stress, strengthens resistance to disease, and enhances health and well-being.

Neural Manipulation is a light-touch, hands-on treatment that releases local nerve restrictions while at the same time examining the effect these local fixations have on the rest of the body, and resolves the more comprehensive (global) dysfunctional patterns. Neural Manipulation aims to free tissue restrictions within the central and peripheral nervous systems. Neural Manipulation can enhance the proper functioning of the nervous system — one of the communication highways throughout the body.

Visceral Manipulation is a gentle manual therapy that assesses the structural relationships between the viscera (organs), and their fascial or ligamentous attachments to the various systems in the body. It assists functional and structural imbalances throughout the body including musculoskeletal, vascular, nervous (including the automatic nervous system), urogenital, respiratory, digestive, and lymphatic dysfunction. Visceral Manipulation increases proprioceptive communication within the body, something that can be severely stunted after a traumatic brain injury.

Information taken from Upledger Productions brochure that we hand out in the office.

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