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Article 4

So what is Cranial Osteopathy?

Let us start with some history. It all began with an observant Osteopath called Sutherland who was studying at the end of the nineteenth century. As he looked at the bones of the cranium, he wondered about the accepted teaching that said that the bones of the head were fused and incapable of movement. Why then did the temporal bones on the side of the head overlap in a way that looked like fish gills and looked capable of breathing type movement? To explore this idea he invented a bizarre range of contraptions to very specifically restrict the bones of his head, one bone at a time. He argued that if they weren’t moving it wouldn’t make any difference if he restricted them. In the end his wife threatened divorce because the consequences on his health, temper and character were extreme and unpredictable. So he started to work on other people. Not by putting pressure on their heads, but by resting his still hands on the different bones and observing the movements he could feel.

Sutherland discovered a rhythmic movement for each bone that was predictable and the same for every patient. He realised that the rhythm came from the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. The fluid has a tidal movement much like our heartbeat or breathing pattern. He found that accident, illness or shock disturbed the rhythm and that the attention of his “listening” hands enabled the disturbed rhythms to return to a more comfortable pattern.

So what actually happens in a treatment consultation? After an initial case history, the patient either lies on the couch or remains on the parent’s lap and I rest my hand somewhere on their body. There are predictable areas where tensions might occur in the body of a baby, such as where the cord has been cut or where the head has been squashed or where the venteuse or forceps has caused alien forces to be expressed in the tissues. However, for every body it is a different story that I am “listening” to and I wait to hear which bit can be told first and how fast the unravelling can be dealt with. Part of my job is to make sure that the pace is right so the body systems are restored and revitalised rather than becoming overwhelmed or trying to tackle too much at once. And thus nothing is “inflicted” on the body. The hands of the Osteopath provide a motive force or fulcrum for the self-healing mechanism of the patient to do its work.

And often it works. Colic improves, sleep is had, shapes in the head change, feeding becomes easier, more smiles become the norm. It is not the panacea for all ills but it is often an answer to counter the strains and stresses of birth and life.

And if you asked someone who has had or seen treatment? Undoubtedly they would say something along the lines of “I don’t know what they did. It looked like she just put her hands on my baby and did nothing”. But hopefully they will follow this with other frequent comments such as, “I had a different child a few days after the treatment” or “my pregnancy was so much easier after I had treatment” or “if only I had known I would have made you the first port of call and not the last!”

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