Craniosacral Therapy Research Assignments and Informational Handout

I took my first CST class in March 2020, and I have been incorporating it into my practice of bodywork ever since. 

Craniosacral Therapy: Annotated Bibliography 

• Haller, H., Dobos, G., & Cramer, H. (2021). The use and benefits of Craniosacral Therapy in primary health care: A prospective cohort study. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 58, 102702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102702

This is a cohort-study that speaks directly to the intersection of Craniosacral therapy (CST) and biomedical primary care. Described as a complementary therapy, the safety and efficacy of CST is reviewed and it was found that the therapy was able to significantly decrease symptom intensity and disability, while enhancing personal resources. No serious effects were observed, and it was concluded that CST seems safe and effective in preventative and therapeutic care of patients of all ages.  

• Kratz, S. V., & Kratz, D. J. (2021). Effects of CranioSacral therapy upon symptoms of post-acute concussion and Post-Concussion Syndrome: A pilot study. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 27, 667–675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2021.05.010

This study was conducted to see how effective CST is on treating Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS). The study used patient self-reporting, and notes that because the therapy treats subjective dysfunction, the value of the treatment is determined by the patient. Results show patients found more value if they received multiple treatments, and of those that continued treatment, the majority of them reported positive results, even saying they would recommend CST for other PCS patients. This study concludes that CST is low-risk and worthy of further study.

• Park, Y., Kabariti, J., & Tafler, L. (2021). Craniosacral Therapy Use in Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus. Craniosacral Therapy Use in Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, 13(5). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.14886

This is a case study on a patient with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), a disorder that presents as an abnormal gait, incontinence and dementia, and is often misdiagnosed for more serious conditions such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. In this study, a case is described in which a patient with NPH utilized CST leading up to the shunt surgery believed necessary to relieve pressure on the spinal cord. After one month of weekly CST sessions, the patient was asymptomatic.

• Rasmussen, T. R., & Meulengracht, K. C. (2021). Direct measurement of the rhythmic motions of the human head identifies a third rhythm. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 26, 24–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2020.08.018

This is an exciting study within the field of CST because it was a study that conducted physical measurements of the movements of the skull to experimentally discover a feature of the Craniosacral system, the craniosacral rhythm, also known in this study as the craniosacral impulse. This rhythm or impulse is felt by the therapists’ hands and used as an evaluation tool in treating patients. The existence of this rhythm had previously been based on clinical, yet anecdotal evidence, even though most of the therapy was built around the use of evaluating the rhythm. 

• Stub, T., Kiil, M. A., Lie, B., Kristoffersen, A. E., Weiss, T., Hervik, J. B., & Musial, F. (2020). Combining psychotherapy with craniosacral therapy for severe traumatized patients: A qualitative study from an outpatient clinic in Norway. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 49, 102320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102320

This study examined the efficacy of combining CST with psychotherapy when working with trauma and the control of emotions. In this study, CST was used to treat physical symptoms in order for patients to be more present and mentally capable of utilizing psychotherapy without being distracted by their physical symptoms, as was observed by the psychotherapists. The study concluded that a multimodal treatment approach is the best practice working with patients with complex traumas, including CST. However, it was noted that in the case of severe trauma, CST should only be utilized in conjuncture with psychotherapists or other qualified practitioners.