WellSpring Practice Guides

Cranial Osteopathy
Locate a Cranial Osteopathy practitioner

Cranial Osteopathy began in the early part of the 20th Century , its instigator was a man called William Garner Sutherland, who originally trained as an osteopath.

Sutherland developed an interest in the cranium after recognizing that there was a rhythm in the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the skull.

Cerebrospinal fluid acts as protection for the brain, as well as supplying nutrients to, and draining waste products from it. In health, Sutherland found that there would be a regular pulse of between 12 and 15 beats per minute, and a disturbance of this pulse would indicate an imbalance somewhere in the body.

A Cranial Osteopath uses tiny, gentle manipulations to the skull, spinal column and sacral area, with the aim of restoring balance. Other areas of the body may also be added to achieve maximum results.

Conditions that Cranial Osteopathy claims to help include chronic migraine, asthma and allergies. It is also used more and more in the treatment of babies who have had difficult births.