CRANIAL OSTEOPATHY
WHAT IS CRANIAL OSTEOPATHY?
Cranial Osteopathy is the name given to a very gentle and subtle hands on way of treating. A refined and sensitive touch is used to feel and treat imbalances within the body. Training in Cranial Osteopathy is at a Postgraduate level and can take many years to complete for Osteopaths who choose to incorporate this into clinical practice.
WHAT IS THE TREATMENT LIKE?
Despite its title, Cranial Osteopathy is a whole body approach which doesn’t just focus on the head (cranium) although this can form a large part of treatment, especially in babies. Treatment may also involve the spine and pelvis, although any area of the body can be treated in this gentle way.
IS IT SUITABLE FOR MY BABY?
Osteopaths treat people not conditions, therefore this approach is suitable for all. It is often used with babies or the elderly as it is so gentle. Babies are often brought to us with feeding/digestive issues or sleeping problems, and sometimes fall asleep during treatment (as do some adults).
IT LOOKS LIKE NOTHING IS HAPPENING!
This is a comment often made by those observing a Cranial treatment. Hands are placed and often rest for a while on a patient's body with very little movement. It can appear nothing is happening. A useful analogy is of a person reading a book. To the observer, nothing much is happening but the person reading is absorbing and processing a wealth of information.
That is much the same as an Osteopath during Cranial treatment. The body tells a story and it parts with information that the Osteopath processes and responds to. Slow and subtle movements can influence and promote change within the body, encouraging ease and relaxation rather than forcing tissues or joints to move.
Kelly Haines is a member of the Sutherland Cranial College of Osteopathy and undergoes continued professional development in this field.
'We have renamed Kelly “the baby whisperer” - we took our baby boy on 4 occasions, from c7 weeks old to 18 weeks old to help him settle.....Kelly is warm, welcoming, and knowledgeable. She was so good with our baby (he fell asleep towards the end of all visits) and he now seems much better. I don’t hesitate to recommend Cricklade Osteopaths and will definitely book again in the future if we need it!' SD, February 2023