Cranial osteopathy and Pediatric Craniopathy.
      Author: Paul Manley D.O. (ESO 1980), MAO Paul Manley, D.O. (ESO 1980), MAO

In one way this short paper describes mechanisms by which infants may suffer in the short and the long term from cranial abormalities, in another, it alludes to methods of diagnosis and manual treatment which can provide relief from such problems.

Enhanced Cranial Manipulation (ECM) is a 'nuts and bolts' approach to cranial problems and represents a unique collection of manipulative techniques as applied to the cranium. This is in contrast to the esoteric approach fostered by the ubiquitous practitioners of Cranio-sacral therapy etc..

The object of ECM is to optimize the elastance co-efficient of the cranium. This is acheived via manual de-compression techniques applied directly to the cranium. Stimulation of the venous drainage by increasing the circulation of the scalp is also a beneficial by-product of treatment.

The techniques are appropriate for cranial and autonomic symptoms only. They are not used for fixing a 'low-back pain' for example, other, more efficient, traditional techniques will deal with such entities. Nor is it used for 'past life regressions' or other similarly dubious practices. Cranial Osteopathy, when it began in the 1940's, was an area of exploration, a fascination with the notion that the cranium can influence our health and sense of being. Miraculous tales were told and tutors took up the flag of nebulousness with the fore-knowledge that their arguments would be relatively unassailable due to the complexity of the subject. Ubfuscation, ignorance and laziness on the part of the tutors and their followers has ultimately led to an emasculation of what was once a subject worthy of study.

There is much research out there, sufficient to convince even the hardest
cynic and esoteric neophyte alike that the proposition that a cranium has an unfortunate tendency to rigidify, thereby producing symptoms of great importance is both feasible and applicable.

 

Intracranial elastance.

The cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) is secreted deep inside the centre of the brain from the choroid plexi of the fourth ventricles and moves around and through the entire central nervous system. Once the CSF has reached the end of its channelled journey it oozes out into the sinuses via special collections of thin-walled cells called lacunae. They develop in clusters within the Sup.Sagittal sinus and to a lesser extent in the Inf.Sagittal sinus. The mix of CSF and used blood from the brain then retuns to the main circulation of the body via the Sigmoid sinuses at the 'confluence of the sinuses'.

The growing brain of the infant 'pushes' the cranium outwards.  The joints between the vault bones ( sutures ) are commonly traumatised by impacts, fractures etc.. There, however a number of less obvious ways in which the cranial elastance co-efficient may become compromised.

 

Causes of perinatal brain damage:

• Direct trauma leading to rise in Intra-cranial pressure (ICP).

• Impaired autoregulation and variations of blood pressure.

• Osmotic balance alterations.

• Changes in glucose and organic acid levels.

• Endocrinological disorders.

• Hypoxic and ischaemic disorders.

If the Intra-cranial pressure rises it can have many effects ranging from agitation, to sleepiness. Raised intra-cranial pressure will push a person into a coma when very high. the ICP is controlled by the brain stem. This area of the brain is the most primitive vestige of our mammalian past.

The application of SCM to conditions such as hyperactivity, sleep apnea, and asthma, as well as to learning and motor problems, has long been theorized. The justification for such applications has been largely anecdotal and therefore too easily dismissed by the more skeptical.

Since its inception, cranial osteopathy has been dogged by a lack of evidence to support its various underlying principles. Because of this the practice has evolved in a more energetic or metaphysical nature. This unfortunate state of ignorance must be addressed, hence, this, the first in the online publication of my research and writings.

The following illustrates the main aim of this article: the fact that if you lay a baby on its back, the Occipital bone will move forwards, into the crium at the point called Lambda. This is the area where the Lambdoidal sures which join the Occipital bone to the Parietal bones in front. It is quite capable of sinking inwards and producing the results described below.

The following salient points must be considered:

1. The cerebral capsule (bone and membrane) changes in degrees of resilience due to the changes in ICP therein.

2. ICP varies in response to the following:

a. The rate of CSF production.
b. The rate of CSF drainage.
c. The elasticity of the cerebral capsule.
d. The degree of responsiveness of the neurohumoral mechanisms which reciprocate with the ICP.

3. Increased ICP, even of short duration, can compromise ce­rebral circulation especially in the region of the brain stem activational and regulational areas.

4. The "elastic coefficient" or elasticity of the cerebral capsule effects a controlling action on the lep variations thus pro­viding a buffer between the CSF and the CNS.

5. The lower the elasticity of the system, the more likely the CNS is to suffer as a result.