Research, Articles & Case Studies

Upledger Institute International Case Study

CranioSacral Therapy – Neck Pain

Upledger Institute International Case Study

CranioSacral Therapy and Anxiety

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a deformity that affects the spine in three dimensions. Even though AIS patients are usually asymptomatic, AIS negatively impacts them, affecting their quality of life and restricting their social life. There are many treatment options but no gold standard. Visceral manipulation (VM) is widely used in  osteopathic practice for the treatment of several conditions, but it is little known among the medical community. To the best of our knowledge, there are no scientific studies reporting VM as a treatment alternative for AIS.

Case Presentation: The case was a 14-year-old girl with AIS (baseline Cobbangle of 38.9° in the lumbar spineand 32.3° in the thoracic spine). Although the patient had no physical symptoms, she was recommended for surgery to correct thedeformity. The osteopathic assessment indicated that the uterus and pericardium where the main  anatomical structurescreating tension. Two VM sessions were conducted with a month-and-a-half interval  between sessions. The follow-up X-ray revealed a Cobb angle of 32.1° in the lumbar curvature and 34.3° in the thoracic curvature. The results were perceived as an improvement by the patient and her parents. No adverse  events or complications were reported. Discussion: After two session of visceral osteopathic treatment, this document reports a 6.8° Cobb angle reduction of the primary curve in a patient with AIS, with the thoracic curvature becoming the major curve.

Upledger Institute International Case Study

CranioSacral Therapy – Hirschsprung’s Disease

Upledger Institute International Case Study

CranioSacral Therapy – Autism

A decade ago, researchers in the lab of Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., answered a basic question of biology that up to that point had eluded scientists: how is waste removed from the brain? The discovery of what is now known as the glymphatic system and subsequent research have transformed the way we study a range of neurological disorders andcritical brain functions.

This letter comments on an original research article titled, “Manual Therapy in Preadolescent Children: A Delphi Investigation of Physical Therapists in the United States,” by Dice et al.1 The objective stated in the article was to gather expert opinion, frame future studies, and assist in guiding clinical practice toward the advantages of manual therapy used by physical therapists for preadolescent children. Our comments concern the consensus and stated result that visceral manipulation and craniosacral therapy were considered ineffective in treating most impairments for pediatrics. If the authors could show data supporting the conclusions regarding CST and VM in the paper, it could clarify the obvious misleading conclusions in the paper (see below). If the authors cannot present conclusive data on the ineffectiveness of CST and VM, a withdrawal of the conclusion in a response letter would promote the development of science in manual therapy.

Non-Invasive Help for Chronic Pain Sufferers

Manipulation of the spine and head to offer pain relief is a type of osteopathy that was developed in the 1970s by Dr. John Upledger. Dr. Upledger conducted a number of studies on craniosacral therapy (CST) while working at Michigan State University as a clinical researcher. Visceral manipulation (VM) is used for the abdominal area to find the source of chronic pain and treat it. So what does this mean for sufferers, you ask?

Light touch is used in CST to improve the craniosacral or visceral system function and evaluate it in those with pain that is chronic. Osteopaths, massage therapists, acupuncturists and chiropractors all practice VM as a way to release restrictions in the craniosacral system to improve the body’s function. 

What Types of Injuries Can Cause Chronic Pain?

Pain that doesn’t go away is a common result of being involved in an accident, especially a traffic collision. Because the body is thrown forward and backward during the impact of the collision, it can cause anything from a traumatic brain injury to spinal problems and abdominal trauma.

Upledger Institute International Case Study

CranioSacral Therapy – Acute Pain in Left Diaphragm 

Visceral Manipulation

Barral Institute Case Study :2  Shoulder and Arm Pain