Heads Up!
Craniosacral therapy is a very safe and gentle hands on therapy that works on the central nervous system and the connective tissue called “fascia.”
The light touch technique is used to help stimulate the body’s own healing properties along with lessening the restrictions found in the nervous system.
It works primarily on the central and autonomic nervous systems, and has been proven to help calm and re-balance these systems, especially in the horse.
The aim is to increase the activity in the Parasympathetic or Rest & Digest part of the nervous system & decrease the activity in the Sympathetic or Fight or Flight part.
This process helps the body to heal and relieve internal stressors.
It can help on a physical and emotional level
It is a very safe & gentle therapy which uses a light touch that most horses really enjoy.
What is Fascial Restriction and Why Does it Cause Pain?
A restriction in the fascia is a malfunction of the fascial system due to trauma, posture, or inflammation that can create a binding down of the fascia, resulting in abnormal pressure on nerves, muscles, tendons, bones, organs and so on.
This enormous pressure acts like a straight jacket on muscles, nerves, blood vessels and bony structures producing the symptoms of pain, headaches, restriction of motion and disease.
This can create pain or malfunction throughout the body, sometimes with strange side effects and seemingly unrelated symptoms.
What is Myofascial Release?
Myofascial Release MFR, is a technique that engages the fascia at the restriction which is then held under soft, but firm pressure moving with the tissue as it releases.
MFR does not tear through tissue, but instead engages the fascia and follows its movement throughout the release; in effect, unwinding and untwisting the tissue which you can sometimes see very clearly as the body moves with the fascia.
This release of fascia pressure in turn releases the muscles, nerves, and joints allowing them to move to their correct position.
The body’s tissue is never forced, so MFR can never injure – a therapist will just be facilitating the release so the fascia can return to its healthy state.
Fascia does not truly begin to release until approx. 5 minutes of gentle sustained pressure, so during a treatment staying in one place for quite a long period of time is normal and very much depends on how the body is responding.
The fascia is one continuous web, changes can be happening in other parts of the body at the same time as holding another place.
There is also an emotional component of the fascial system and It is now widely accepted that the fascia stores emotional trauma as well as physical.
Example, if you experience Stress or Anxiety you might hold tension in your shoulders or lower back in the soft tissues which creates physical holding patterns. These can be released with MFR.
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