CONCUSSION AND HEAD TRAUMA

CONCUSSIONS and HEAD TRAUMA have been a hot topic in the news lately! Why? Because where once athletes or those suffering from head injuries & post concussion syndrome had little or no resources to pull from are now finding relief through a therapy called CranioSacral Therapy.

We can all understand how the impact of two huge football players colliding helmets head-on, how their collision could be painful, or have ramifications. Just imagining the sound of it makes one cringe! Or soccer players repeatedly butting a powerfully kicked ball! And how about hockey players slamming each other into the sideboards! Up until recently, there wasn't much a doctor could do but confirm the diagnosis and send the athlete home to rest.

But what if after going home to"rest" the headaches still persist? Throbbing pain that seems to come and go. Blurred vision. Pain medicine that does little or nothing at all to dull the pain?

CranioSacral has shown to be highly effective in relieving migraines and pressure pain. It is a holistic therapy that works with the 22 bones of the skull, the spinal cord fluid that surrounds and protects the brain, down the spinal cord to the sacrum (the tailbone) and back up again. The cerebrospinal fluid is created within the cranium and as it travels down the spinal cord, it has a rhythm. It is this subtle rhythm, as it expresses itself through the movement of the cranium bones, that the therapist is taught to feel and evaluate. If the cranium bones are out of alignment, there is often a compression or tension, and the movement often takes us to a point of restriction.With very small palpation, we encourage a balance that can effect a release. When this happens, pain and inflammation can be eliminated.

What to Look For:

1. Headaches: that come and go, sensitivity to light ad sound

2. Decreased cognitive funciton; unable to concentrate or memory loss

3. Dizziness, loss of balance

4. Disrupted sleep patterns, insomnia

5. Vertigo

6. Blurred vision

7. Emotional highs and lows not typical behavior

8. Complaints of anxiousness

9. Bruising with or without a bump

10. Eye tracking and unable to read without difficulty

The Upledger Institute has been a trail blazing leader in putting CranioSacral on the map. They recently partnered with Ricky Williams, a former NFL football player who suffers from post concussion syndrome. Ricky and 4 former professional football players participated in a five-day intensive manual therapy concussion program and preliminary pilot research project at the Upledger Institute Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens.The results were amazing! See www.upledger.com

If you or a loved one has ever suffered a head or neck injury, explore CranioSacral Therapy. I promise you, it will be a decision made you will thank yourself for!