Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a gentle, hands-on approach, which addresses the nervous system, joints and soft tissues by palpating subtle rhythmical motions in the body. The focus is on the head and spine, but CST can be applied anywhere on the body. This method was developed by William Sutherland, D.O., a visionary osteopath, in the 1930’s. Dr. Sutherland discovered an underlying system which causes motion of the cranial bones and spine; and he found that there were specific symptoms associated with restricted motion (such as compression) of these bones. These distortions affect the functioning of the underlying brain and spinal cord. Craniosacral dysfunctions can arise from injury such as falls or blows to the head. Scar tissue from surgeries or inflammation/infection also can affect mobility of tissues. Regardless of the cause, the result of disease or injury is limited motion (like a “tethering” or strain) of nervous tissue. Dr. Sutherland devised manual methods of decompressing and restoring balance to the cranial bones, spine and associated nervous tissue, to allow symptom relief and normal function.
Muscle energy technique (MET) is an osteopathic method which uses light contract-relax of specific muscles to free up joints. This method is particularly helpful to treat isolated torsions of spine and imbalance of sacroiliac joints, to relieve neck and back pain.
Visceral manipulation (VM) is a method developed by Jean-Pierre Barral, D.O. to manually treat restrictions in mobility and function of organs. Organs can refer pain to the spine or other areas of the body due to shared nerves. This method can help with back or abdominal pain, digestive issues, and even help with sleep and mood disorders due to production of serotonin in gut.
Functional indirect technique (FIT) is a 3-dimensional method of treating joint and muscle injuries. FIT is a gentle manual method which works by creating a slack on tissues and following lines of tension to release compression or strains in multiple tissues at once. This helps speed recovery from sports injuries, especially to peripheral joints (e.g., ankle, knee, wrist, elbow, shoulder).
Strain-counterstain (SCS) is a system of positional exercises which works well for muscle strains and tendinitis. The beauty of this technique is that it is quick, painless and patients can learn exercises to treat themselves, to heal more quickly and to prevent recurrences. This is helpful for conditions such as:
• Plantar fasciitis (foot)
• Lateral epicondylitis at elbow
• Patellar tendinitis (knee)
• Achilles tendinitis (ankle)
• Rotator cuff strains of shoulder
• Bursitis (e.g. hip)
• Acute muscle strains
