Any experience with craniosacral therapy?

[*********]

I'm considering craniosacral therapy to treat my migraines. My sister had a few sessions, and no longer gets migraines. Man, that'd be GREAT, lol.

 

So, what's the scoop? Will they want me to come every other week for the rest of my life (like my dh's chiro), or will I just need a few visits and I''m all set?

 

Anyone done this, and have anything to say about it, either good or bad?

[meggie]

I had it done after I had baby girl. While I was pregnant, my back hurt so bad that it hurt to walk. After I had her, it still hurt. I was limping around everywhere. My disabled mother, who has to use a cane and has a limp, told me it hurt her just to watch me walk. My midwife is big into the energy thing, so I went twice. The therapist essentially put her hands on various parts of my body and held them there. The only bit of help she did do was when she took one of my legs and picked it up way in the air and twisted it around until my back cracked.

 

I'm not much into the whole energy movement; I'm willing to keep an open mind. But I found much better use out of a chiropractor and a massage therapist. Definitely money well spent for me. So far as using it as a way to heal migraines? I dunno. But I tend to think the whole thing is kinda wacky. I'm not going to pay someone $50/hour just to put their hands on my neck and back and trust that the energy is working.

[ChandlerMom]

Have no experience with CST, but I looked into it when my neuro recommended it for my migraines. It is an ongoing thing, not a one-time (or 6week) cure.

 

THere are many, many alternative therapies that that *may* work, but there aren't any rigorous studies evaluating them to look at. I chose not to pursue CST because they HAVE done studies on CST and it failed to meet any medical standards of effective treatment. Specifically, the rhythms they supposedly sense and adjust don't exist, different practitioners who see the same patient have completely different diagnoses and sense different rhythms; no consistency on treatments for the same patients or results. You can search PubMed for "craniosacral therapy" (what I did).

 

In contrast, magnesium, feverfew, coQ10 all have excellent studies to back them up (one found magnesium as good as propranolol), botox is extremely pricey but good evidence based, even acupuncture and chiropractic/MT have some good evidence.

 

Note that I am NOT saying CST cannot work for you or your sister or any one else. I'm just saying that the studies looking at CST look bad, and I don't want to get into spending the time and money to try it. On the other hand I did get 30-odd injections in my face and neck today, so I'm clearly desperate enough to try things beyond the first choice list.

 

Good luck and good health!

[Peela]

I love craniosacral. It is very deeply relaxing and can heal all sorts of physical trauma.

I would highly recommend it- at least trying it. For some people it is very effective.

I do not believe it is something you would need to do regularly forever. I think a series of several sessions would be enough- if I didn't feel something different, better, after a couple, I wouldn't keep going. Its possible that you might get a lot of relief then it might return after a few months ...so longer term maintenance...such as you might get with a chiro...but you should feel some sort of relief pretty quickly, I think- if it can help.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I really don't know much about it at all, but one of my sisters did this with her son who had a traumatic birth. Half of his face was drooping. I'm not sure how many sessions they did, but it fixed his problem. She is a big fan.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

No experience. When I saw migraines it made me think of King of the Hill and John Redcorn. Just funny, sorry. :)

[Little Nyssa]

I had this done once. It did not help-- in fact the problem worsened -- nerve pain-- and started up in a new place during the session. I had to go back on round- the-clock meds for 10 days. And the issue has not resolved. So, I believe there must be something to that CS theory, or how would that person have been able to mess up mine so perfectly? I highly dis-recommend them.