Cranial osteopathy is a refined branch of osteopathy which is gentle, non invasive, subtle and incredibly advantageous in the treatment of almost all everyday aches, pains and ills that patients present with.

It has a special place, treating illness that falls in the “grey areas” of medicine i.e. where no medical answers have been made available to you. However, the treatment of babies, children, teenagers, adults and on through mid life and later years, can all be treated using these specialist techniques.

For all Osteopaths to practice, they must have undertaken and passed a certified degree course program, these university courses are between 4 & 5 years. It is only at postgraduate level that osteopaths are able to train in cranial osteopathy which then takes years of training and practice to refine.

Cranial osteopathy is in my opinion, quite simply the best form of treatment available, I am humbled by its generosity to patients on a daily basis.

Cranial osteopathy all began in the 1900’s, William Garner Sutherland, an osteopath, noticed that the various bones of the skull were not fused together – a phenomenon that is usual for bony joints that are immobile or unused. This observation set about a lifetime of experiments and research to understand why this is the case and how the body reacts physiologically (well/unwell) when there is loss of movement in these bones, and how the body reacts in its quest to get better when these skull bones are fully mobile.

In assessment of the skull bones, Sutherland noticed that all the body tissues, from bone, ligaments and the fluid spaces of your body all have a very subtle, rhythmical shape change that we call Involuntary Motion (IVM) or the Cranial Rhythm. This was confirmed at laboratory level in the 1960/70’s.

Any tension (physical, environmental, emotional) in your body disrupts the IVM, making it feel absent, chaotic, or unbalanced – and over time this diminishes your ability to cope and adapt allowing symptoms and ill health to surface. Assessing these variations from your “norm” pinpoints where stresses and strains are present. With experience and gentle listening and holding of your body tissues, an expression of health occurs allowing your IVM to return to its normal balanced motions – the side effect of this re balancing being a reduction in the symptoms you present with together with other positive health benefits.

Cranial osteopathy – What is this refined treatment?

During your treatment, you may be thinking: “What is this guy doing? It doesn’t feel like he’s doing anything”. I promise you’re not alone in having these thoughts. However, what many of our patients find themselves thinking 24/48 hours after their treatment is: “I still don’t know what he did but something changed/eased and I feel better”.

An old adage in cranial osteopathy is: “Never treat trauma with trauma”. Your body is the most intelligent organism alive on the planet and it has its own survival and wellbeing at its very core. So, is it any wonder that it responds so well to the ‘helping and guiding’ approach of cranial osteopathy to manoeuvre itself out of dysfunction and pain, rather than a sledgehammer approach with all the inherent risks that go with aggressive ‘no pain, no gain’ styles of treatment?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Cranial Osteopathy?

So how does cranial osteopathy work, what are you doing?

What happens to me whilst I’m being treated by a cranial osteopath?

Will I feel tired after treatment?

How long will it take to get me better?

Will I have to take my clothes off?

Will treatment hurt me?

Do I need to be referred by my Doctor to get an appointment?

How quickly can I get an appointment?

My back feels vulnerable but I can live with it, am I risking opening a can of worms by seeking treatment with you, or should I leave well alone?

How can I pay?

What Are Your Fees?

Can I claim for my treatments using my Private Medical insurance?

Will I be able to drive after my appointment

Are you open at weekends?

What is the difference between Osteopathy & Physiotherapy?

What is the difference between Osteopathy & Chiropractic?

Will I need to do exercises as part of my treatment plan?

Can cranial osteopathy help my child, sleep, behave better at school, he feels so angry, always on the go, emotionally unstable.