Osteopathy in the cranial field holds the potential for deep, whole body changes. We spoke to the team at Stillpoint Osteopaths to find out more.
How does cranial osteopathy differ from a standard osteopathic treatment?
Osteopaths have varied treatment approaches and each practitioner chooses what is most appropriate for their client. This often involves gentle manipulation, soft tissue work, muscle balancing and rehabilitation techniques to name a few. Commonly considered standard osteopathy, these approaches are more physical and movement based.
Osteopathy in the cranial field (cranial osteopathy) works with the more subtle expressions of movement in the body. It encompasses the whole using gentle techniques to allow the body’s internal corrective abilities to create change and restore balance. Although cranial is in the title, this approach treats all areas of the body.
Osteopathy in the cranial field is part of standard osteopathy and is introduced in most undergraduate training programmes. However, most practitioners using this approach do further postgraduate studies to develop their skills.
What inspires your osteopathic team to pursue this career path?
Our osteopathic team are motivated by the desire to provide mindful healthcare to promote better health and wellbeing.
They resonate with the philosophy and teachings of osteopathy. Osteopathy promotes working with the body as a whole unit of function and that as practitioners we are attentive with our hands to the body’s natural abilities to self-correct.
As a team we embrace continued in-depth study of anatomy, physiology, its embryological origins and the body’s expressions of motion and function. These understandings and learnings guide our hands on work.
Who is cranial osteopathy best suited for?
We are a family-oriented practice offering osteopathic management for newborns to our more senior members of our community. The gentle nature of this therapeutic approach lends itself to all age groups. Osteopathic assessment and management is suitable for acute and chronic conditions, issues ranging from sporting injuries, physical trauma, emotional wellbeing, to chronic illnesses.
What does a cranial osteopathic treatment feel like?
Everyone’s experience of an osteopathic treatment can be different. Patients describe different sensations from waves through their body, heat, body movements, to feelings that intensify and ease, relaxation, and a feeling of being held and supported.
What would you say is the ultimate goal of osteopathic treatment?
The ultimate goal is to assist the patient to reach their own individual health goals and objectives. This could be to reduce pain, increase mobility, rehabilitate after injury among other things. Practitioners will work through a full case history and examination and will establish your goals to develop a management plan. In the treatment process itself our aim is to create a therapeutic space that allows the patient to express their own corrective mechanisms to instigate change and restore function.
