Restrictions on the Cranial-Sacral System
Since the nerves start out from the Central Nervous System (CNS) and travel throughout the body to all of your muscles and lots of other structures, a restriction in the Cranial-Sacral system can be associated with pain or discomfort locally or in an area of the body that’s far away from the actual restriction. It can also be associated with fatigue – constant fatigue – as the body tries its best to come back into balance.
The Cranial-Sacral System primarily consists of three layers of connective tissue known as the dural fascia or meningeal membranes, plus the cerebrospinal fluid. It is much more than just a ‘sleeve’ that contains the brain and the spinal cord. The CNS essentially ‘swims’ inside the cerebrospinal fluid. The dural tissue and this vital fluid serve to protect against pathogens and to cushion the brain and the spinal cord from traumatic injury. Very important jobs! But there’s more to it than that.
The Cranial-Sacral system facilitates the movement of nutrients from the blood to cells in the brain and the spinal cord. They also help with the removal of waste products back into venous circulation in order to be eliminated. In other words, the health of the CNS – and, therefore, the rest of the body depend on healthy dural fascia and the free flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Why? Because the CNS is a bit of a control freak – thankfully! It coordinates or influences the activity of all the other parts of the body, including, of course, your muscles.
Another key job the cerebrospinal fluid has is to keep the pressure on the brain and spinal cord balanced. To do that, the system is constantly creating new cerebrospinal fluid from blood – and then drawing some of it back out in a perpetual ebb and flow rhythm that’s a lot like gentle ocean waves coming onto the beach and receding back to the sea. This balancing act is incredibly important. If the pressure gets too high or too low for whatever reason, it can be critical. That’s another reason why keeping the Cranial-Sacral system functioning well helps the entire body to maintain good health.
We teach several Cranial-Sacral techniques in the Cranial-Sacral Therapy classes. The techniques are very gentle, and hundreds of our students have learned how to incorporate them into their sessions, combining them with other modalities and techniques. The classes are very hands-on! The techniques are very practical.
See you in class,
John