My client has a headache that just won’t quit, sinuses so swollen they’re actually causing tooth pain, a really sore neck and shoulders, and an aching back. I know from reading his health history and from talking to the client that he’s had these troubles for many years. It’s quite likely his problems started after a car accident in his twenties left him with a bad case of whiplash, which compounded the effects of the braces he wore as a teenager.

I start with a therapeutic massage to help ease the ache in his back and the pain in his neck and shoulders. This involves a half an hour of kneading and plying, stretching and squeezing the muscles of his back, neck and shoulders, along with mobilizations to his shoulder joints to help decrease pain and increase range of motion. After I’m done, he tells me his back and shoulders feel very good—the ache is gone—and he’s finally relaxed. This is followed by a half an hour of craniosacral therapy. Gently mobilizing the bones and membranes of the head and spine, including mouthwork to loosen up the hard palate, will help with the sinus congestion, headache and neck pain.

When my client gets off the table, he’s a little woozy from the mouthwork, but he’s extremely relaxed. He says the pain is gone and his head feels wider and looser. He books another appointment, this time for a combination of massage and fascial release therapy, to deal with some nagging carpal tunnel symptoms.

With this client, I used a multi-modal approach; from my experience, I felt massage alone might only provide temporary relief from the symptoms caused by the whiplash and braces. For example, braces typically cause uneven strain in the bones of the hard palate and face, which affects the sinuses and membranes of the head. Whiplash tightens the tiniest muscles of the neck, pulling on the vertebrae and straining the membranes of the head and neck. Both of these can lead to chronic headaches and neck pain. Craniosacral mouthwork mobilizes the hard palate and membranes of the head and neck, giving relief from these symptoms.

In the example above, if I had only used massage therapy, the client would still have gone off relaxed, his back feeling better, his headache relieved and his sinuses cleared. Massage therapy doesn’t provide the means to mobilize the bones and membranes of the head, however, so it’s likely his symptoms would eventually recur. By the same token, craniosacral therapy alone might not loosen all the muscles of his back and shoulders. Combining the two modalities made the biggest difference for this client.

Most therapists have a toolbox from which they can draw to help you achieve your healing goals. Some other “tools” are visceral manipulation, lymphatic drainage, hot stone therapy and reiki, to name a few. Ask your therapist for a combination treatment, and experience the release!

© J.E. Bradley,2008 All rights reserved.