I have been a practising Physiotherapist for 19 years. I have touched and in some way manipulated many, many joints during that time. I’ve seen movement restored, tension and pain decreased and function returned in all of them but nothing compares to the phenomenon of “unwinding” a limb like we do in CranioSacral therapy when all these things may occur simultaneously.

I received CranioSacral therapy (CST) from a physiotherapist colleague for persistent back pain several years ago. I was so impressed with the results, that I subsequently began the training and now practice CST myself. At times, when treating someone, you are pulled to a limb that wants to “unwind” itself. During a CST session, the client is typically lying on their back and, as the therapist, you support the limb with your hands so that movement can occur without the resistance of gravity. And what movement!

The limb moves, with no conscious thought directing it into various postures and positions with the effortless grace of a dancer. As this slow and often intricate dance occurs, you can feel the tension and denseness of the tissue soften and dissipate. This may continue for several minutes and feels absolutely wonderful for the client experiencing it. It feels like the limb is weightless and unencumbered and you can suddenly do movements with no pain or restriction that you were previously unable to.

This unwinding can occur for various reasons. Sometimes, there is tension or restriction in a joint that cannot be released without the entire limb taking part. Sometimes, force or trauma entered a part of the body when it was in a specific posture and that exact posture must be re-enacted in order to dissipate the force. At other times, the whole limb needs to stretch out every muscle. For whatever reason, it is a wonderful experience for both client and therapist and results in restoration or enhancement of function.

Copyright 2007  Marian Sears-Carter P.T.  All Rights Reserved