Research into Cranial work

A fair amount of research has been done on the cranial way of working primarily through the Osteopathic profession.

General research

• The Cranial Academy < a href="http://www.cranialacademy.org/researchCLINICAL.html">Clinical Research lists a number of areas where research has been done. There is a link to an in-depth paper on research in support of the cranial concept.

top

Vasomotion

Rhythmic oscillation in the tone of the smooth muscles of the walls of the blood system is a well known phenomena and research into it stretches back into the mid 19th century. This oscillation is known by various names; vasomotion, vasomotor waves, vasomotor oscillations and Traube-Hering-Mayer (THM) waves/oscillations. An article by Nilsson and Aalkjæ discuss its Mechanisms and Physiological Importance. It has a frequency of (0.05 - 0.1 Herz) which is in the same range as the Cranial Rhythmic Impulse (CRI) which is usually quoted as 8-12 cycles per minute (? Herz). Several people in the cranial field believe that they are one and the same phenomena.

The main article in this area is by Kenneth E. Nelson et al in the March 2001 Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

Google Search: Changes in the Traube Hering Wave following Cranial Manipulation

Changes in the Traube Hering Wave following Cranial Manipulation

Changements dans la vélocité..

Neurobiological aspects of the cranial rhythmic impulse

Involvement of sympathetic nerve activity in skin blood flow oscillations in humans

• The Israeli School of Connective Osteopathy site has a really interesting discussion of the struggle between the 'structural' and 'functional' sides of Osteopathy and two papers re-appraising the nature of the CRI, concluding that it is actually the THM wave.
• The Cranial section of the French Osteopathy site and translated into English has some good review of the research literature including more work on comparing the CRI to the THM wave.
• Cerebral Vasomotion: A 0.1-Hz Oscillation in Reflected Light Imaging of Neural Activity

top

MEDLINE references courtesy of PubMed

• A PubMed search for articles on "craniosacral"
• A PubMed search for articles on "Traube-Hering-Mayer"
• The early development of neurosonology: III. Pulsatile echoencephalography and Doppler techniques describes the development of measurement of the THM waves within the cranium and their effect.

top

Related research

• James Oschman has done some very interesting research into the energetic basis of bodywork. His energy research site is very interesting indeed and is reflected in his book Energy Medicine - The Scientific Basis. Here is an extract from his "Readings on the Scientific Basis of Bodywork and Movement Therapies". One of the concepts that Oschman explores is the Soliton, a coherent wave which does not break up, spread out or lose strength. I think that the fluid fluctuations that are experienced by cranial therapists in both "longitudinal fluctuations" and "lateral fluctuations" may well be solitons generated within the body fluids.

top