Cranial osteopathy, or cranial-sacral therapy, is based on a theory that the tissues that surround the brain and the spine are subjected to pulses, known as cranial rhythms. These rhythmic pulses are supposed to cause the bones of the skull to move out of joint, resulting in cranial lesions. In order to fix these cranial lesions, an osteopath gently works on the bones to the pulse of the cranial rhythms.

Benefits of Cranial Osteopathy for Children and Adults
Proponents of cranial osteopathy for babies, including newborns, claim many benefits for their patients. For example, cranial osteopathy for babies is said to help correct sleep disturbances, colic and feeding difficulties. Cranial osteopathy can also help babies to relax, help with their digestive system and assist in their developing nervous system.

Cranial osteopathy for children is touted as helping with chronic ear infections, nosebleeds and bed wetting. In addition, these manipulations can help alleviate asthma, headaches and leaning disabilities.

Adults can benefit from cranial osteopathy for relief from headaches, pain as the result of accidents and sinus conditions. In addition, this manipulation can help treat chronic fatigue syndrome. Women’s pain from menstrual cycles can also be alleviated by cranial manipulations.

Cranial Osteopathy Cautions
To date, there have not been large scale scientific experiments that indicate that cranial osteopathy is effective. In addition, the existence of cranial rhythms has not been scientifically confirmed.