Cranial Osteopathy is an extension of Osteopathic technique that was developed and present Dr William Sutherland D.O.to the Osteopathic profession in the United States in the 1930's and has been growing in acceptance and practise worldwide ever since.

After several decades of research in the early 1900’s a clearly measurable movement of the bones of the skull was defined as the “Cranial Rhythm”. The range of  movement  is small  (1/50^th of an inch), but to the trained hands it is easily felt as a  rhythmic  expansion and  contraction that is quite independent of the normal respiration and heart beat.

The treatment method of Cranial Osteopathy places great emphasis on the re-establishment of a smooth, regular, symmetrical movement pattern in each of the cranial bones, and an easy symmetry of motion throughout the structures of the rest of the body. All cranial bones, or pairs of cranial bones (left and right), have a distinctive movement pattern that follow in normal circumstances. By palpating with his hands how each set of bones is moving, the Cranial Osteopath is able to determine which areas are not moving smoothly and symmetrically and which other tissues may be secondarily involved.

Once this  diagnosis has been made, the objective of treatment is to re-establish the normal symmetrical movement pattern in the problem area by  gently  relieving  any  compressions  or  strains of  the  joints of the cranium . This allows an increased blood flow and drainage to occur, effectively allowing healing of the damaged tissue to take place with a gradual improvement in symptoms or pains.

In a study of 203 school children in the USA it was found that there was a definite relationship between cranial restrictions and behavioural problems or learning disabilities. Also, the Osteopaths found that the degree of cranial restriction was directly related to the degree of behavioural or learning problems in the child.

A significant numbers of autistic children have responded well to cranial treatment, as seen in a study of 63 autistic children presenting for cranial treatment in the USA It was observed that there was a strong correlation between the degree of autism and the severity of cranial dysfunction.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion Cranial Diagnosis requires an acutely trained sense of touch coupled with a fine discrimination which can detect and  correct the presenting  dysfunction. This can only be learned by study and training under skilled instruction. Cranial treatment being extremely gentle is suitable for infants and children as it involves no pain for the child.

Finally, it is not being suggested that all childhood behaviour and developmental problems are due to cranial dysfunctions. However, often over a period of time, the improvements in brain function following cranial correction leaves little doubt that there is a cause and effect relationship.