What is cranial osteopathy?
Cranial osteopathy and sutures of the head
Do the bones of the head have breathing movements?
What is the cause of sutures on the skull?
Where does this theory come from?
How do skull bones retain their original shape after skull growth?
Join us to understand all this!
Do the bones of the head move? What is good cranial osteopathy?
You may not have been aware of this before; But moving the bones of the head along the skull sutures is one of the few important conceptual components for physicians present in cranial osteopathy or craniosacral therapy.
The way the bones move expands and contracts the sutures (at least they are described as expanding and contracting), which is very similar to the process of our breathing in the chest.
The idea, which according to articles has been presented to the world for more than 60 years, is so controversial that it has received much criticism for being pseudo-scientific.
Many people believe that the movement of the head sutures or even the way of breathing in the chest is incorrect because there has been no professional research to support this idea from the past!
But research showing that the sutures of the head move along the bones of the head is far greater than the results of research that suggests the opposite.
Now, let us find out the five strong and definite reasons why the bones of the head move:
The first reason
Embryonic time
If you look at the text and a photo of the human skull that I shared with you at the same time, you will notice that each of the sutures on the head has identified a specific bone in their area.
This may seem trivial to other people at first; But during the development of a baby into a teenager, the fact that these bones do not break and do not break from what they are, shows that many bones are formed during the growth process between these sutures and combine with each other. They turn to form a part of the main bone.
Let me give you an example. Each pelvic bone has three distinct sections, including the ischium, ilium, and pubis, which grow side by side and fuse together without the need for any sutures.
Be aware, our body can combine the bones of the head whenever it wants. But why does he not always do that?
Because after complete overlap we will no longer be able to distinguish different parts of the skull; In addition, according to the sources in which I studied, it was stated that the extensive properties of rice can be used to separate bones at the site of sutures and to separate them.
But the reason why the body does not combine bones is more important.
The second reason
Create compatibility
It is true that you do not have a lot of movement in our head, but its absence is not completely true and there is a small amount of movement.
Having proper movement in the skull makes the person's skull more flexible and more prepared in the event of a collision with an object or a blow and a sudden shock and changes in internal pressure in the skull. These are the sutures of the head that allow them to move by creating little space between the bones, and the bones absorb most of the sudden impact due to their flexibility.
This feature allows our brain to greatly reduce the possibility of trauma. Or even when you have a cold or a flight where the internal pressure changes, the flexibility of the bones themselves will be helpful in expanding and contracting the bones to minimize the pressure on the main body
Third reason:
Braces
According to published articles and news, there is evidence that the bones of the head move around us. If all these bones were fused together and could not move, there would be no reason for the braces to exist.
In fact, the basis of brace sutures for cranial sutures is that they are aligned and because the head is flexible, it protects from possible incorrect deformations; Just like what happens to asymmetric teeth in the jaw!
Fourth reason:
Motion test
Want to notice movement in the skull? Place the palm of your hand on someone's head and pay attention to the gentle movements that occur along and above your head.
Of course, there are still some people who, due to their inability to feel this issue when they touch their head, reject it and call it unquestionable.
In the science of good osteopathy, by touching the head correctly and observing the amount of movement of the bones, one can find out how limited they are and the range of motion of those people who have asymmetry or cramps.
Fifth reason:
Design of sutures
The last and best reason lies inside the sutures themselves and goes back to the anatomy of the sutures. Of course, if you have already studied the described movement in the skull and the anatomy of the sutures, it is less likely that you will reject this idea!
The sutures come in a variety of models and their joints vary depending on the placement area.
The frontal bone, for example, is internally located on the parietal bone, but when a person exits along the coronary suture, an outward transfer point is created, which in turn overlaps the parietal bone on the frontal bone.
Another example is the sagittal suture, which is like a door hinge and works exactly like the bones move together.
These are all things that show that these things happen when all the bones are articulated together, but in other words, the bones of our head are like a three-dimensional puzzle that allows our heads to move.
Now can the bones of the head and the sutures of the skull be removed and welded together? totally!. Whenever you hold a joint and do not let it move for a long time, that is when the bones begin to fuse with each other, which are called pathological cases.
In general, you should know that every part of the body has its own growth pattern for certain reasons, and nothing happens by chance. This has led to more research on the presence of cranial sutures and the failure of the skull to become solid bone.
But overall, according to the latest results from a study by a treatment provider for osteopath manipulation (OMT), it has been concluded that releasing dysfunctional structures in our head can relieve pain and tension in other parts of the body as well!.
But let's take a closer look at the movement of the skull and the sutures of the head:
In this section, I have used the words of Dr. Appler and Ms. Lisa Johnson's comments about the movement of the skull bone, which I will leave the source link at the end.
"In anatomy and physiology, I learned that the bones of the skull fuse together in early adulthood or childhood."
Anatomy speaks to the theory that sutures grow together to form a solid mass of bone called a calvary, and fully supports this theory.
The welded skull acts as a helmet for our body, in which changes in volume or blood pressure, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or even brain tissue cause corresponding pressure changes in other parts of the body to prevent increased pressure. It enters the skull.
However, there are many writings and printed sources that remind of the rhythmic movements of the skull bones. Most of these writings are taken from the medical fields of cranial osteopathy in which they worked in the field of craniosacral therapy.
The following is a summary of these writings and the research done by these cranial osteopaths.
A person named Tettambel used force transducers to measure movement between the frontal bone and the bilateral mastoid processes of the temporal bone in 30 people, and finally reported three different rhythms, including respiratory rhythms and heart rhythms, in his report. Registered.
But what was the third rhythmic pulse?
He assumed that the third pulse averaged eight cycles per minute and that the rhythm was craniosacral.
Another man, Frymann, studied rhythmic changes around the head with the help of a large U-shaped frame with a differential converter. Changes that occurred with the movement of metal rods in the diameter of the individual's skull were measured periodically; The attractiveness of this study is due to the fact that this amount of movement was measured in living people. Frymann found a rhythmic rhythm between six and eight cycles per minute, apart from heart rate and respiration, and his displacement was measured between 10 and 30 microns.
A third study was conducted by Mr. Adams et al. In which he studied the motility of the parietal bone in cats. Barometers were inserted into the parietal bones of cats to monitor movement when injecting artificial Cerebrospinal fluid.
As a result, the bones changed the distance from 17 to 70 microns. External compression of the external head caused a measurable dilation of the sagittal suture, which eventually involved the rotation of the parietal bones inward.
Researchers at the University of Michigan Osteopathy College of Medicine investigated the presence of motility in mammalian skull bones.
Mr. Michael and Mr. Ratzloff attached a straight screw to the right parietal bone and measured its movement using a pressure transducer.
In addition to this main measurement, they also measured blood pressure, respiration rate and heart rate. As a result of this experiment, it was found that the parietal bones move in two distinct rhythms, one of which is related to the speed of breathing and the other is slower, less than five to seven cycles per minute.
The studies we talked about show you that the bones of the skull move slowly and steadily and cyclically.
In general, what is recently culminating in Western medical science shows the growth of talk and experiments on the presence of head sutures and the movement of skull bones.
Therefore, it is better that we also approach this issue with an open mind and take a step towards more awareness.
In craniofacial therapy (CST), a specific CFS rhythm can be felt in all parts of the body due to the inactive function of the facial ligament.
This rhythm is in two completely separate stages, including bending (moving outwards) and flexion (moving inwards).
In physiotherapy terms, flexion means measuring the degree of reduction in joint angle. This joint, called the sphenobasilar, is located where the posterior sphenoid articulates with a protrusion on the occipital bone.
Sayings of Dr. William Garner, "Father of Osteopathy"
After touching these movements in the skull bone, Dr. Garner noticed that at the bottom we saw the joint bend and the angle size decreased.
This bending and lowering of the angle is accompanied by a gentle outward movement in the body, which according to Sutherland is called curvature. For this reason, in CST, our skull is placed with the rest of the body when it bends, and when it narrows, it is in extension.
Now let's talk about the anatomy of closing head sutures
In the first place, we want to examine the nature of the skull. If these sutures remain flexible during old age and adulthood, some degree of movement may be directed into the craniocerebral system due to the pressure changes discussed above.
So if the cranial bone tissues are fused together, rhythmic movement is certainly unlikely and they should remain immobile.
In a separate study of mammalian skulls, Messrs. Appledger and Ratzalf examined sagittal sutures of the skull and found not only connective tissue but also a neural and vascular network and its receptors within the tissue. In one instance, they were even able to route a single dendrite through the dorsal membrane to the mammalian brain, which ended in the third ventricle; Where it contains !.
How the homeostatic feedback mechanism works in the brain cerebrospinal fluid hydraulic system
Further studies in this area provided answers to how the hemostatic feedback mechanism works in the brain's CFS hydraulic system.
During the 1920s, Mr. Todd and Mr. Lyons published two papers on the timing of sutures in a male's skull. Their assumption was that the skull sutures were connected at a certain point in human life. In this study, 427 samples were tested, but 81 of them were rejected due to abnormal suture closure or "delayed connection".
Some of the skulls were even called adhesions, meaning that the sutures did not close due to the concentration of bone along the articular edge.
For some unknown reason at the time, the two considered the skulls to be welded in order to somehow result in the subject of head sutures joining earlier than usual.
They also described the results of their experiments, which included:
The sagittal suture was closed at the age of 31.
The coronal suture was closed at the age of 38.
Lamboid sutures were closed at age 47.
Masto-occipital closed in 70-80 years.
Masto-parietal closed in 70-80 years.
Spheno-closure rarely.
Of course, experimental standards have changed dramatically over the past 80 years.
One of the researchers, Kokich, examined the facial sutures in 61 cases after the two men, 9 of whom did not show any sutures until after the age of 80, and some of them did not show any sutures until after the age of 90 Did not have fully welded !.
The relationship between age and head sutures
"As people get older, bone streaks form along the sutures, and these never affect the movement and openness of the sutures," he said. Kokic, like Mr. Ratzlaff and Mr. Appler, found evidence of collagen fiber in the suture, stating that the frontosygomatic suture remained an active "articulation" for the rest of a person's life.
Finally, by touching the craniocerebral rhythm through the hands of an osteopath, we conclude that the cranial sutures retain their flexibility and are called articular. It is this flexibility in the cranial sutures that causes the bones to move imperceptibly; Because they are guided by the craniosacral system.
Skull osteopathy for infants?
Performing a good cranial osteopathy for the time of delivery helps mothers to get rid of the great pain during childbirth.
Because craniosacral therapy is one of the best cranial osteopathy, it examines the membranes and how fluids move in and around your central nervous system by lightly touching the bones and parts of the face.
In craniosacral therapy, your osteopath relieves stress in your central nervous system.
The result of treatment through craniosacral therapy is the reduction of pain and its complete relief in most cases and causes a good feeling and more comfort and safety in the body!
Even the results of a 2012 study of the effects of a good hand osteopathy showed that infants with neonatal colic cried less hours after cranial osteopathy because of colic!
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6649880/
https://www.healthline.com/health/cranial-osteopathy#what-the-science-says
https://www.massagetoday.com/articles/13807/The-Controversy-of-Cranial-Bone-Movement
https://www.healthline.com/health/cranial-bones
https://www.rebalancept.com/jaw-pain-pelvic-pain-connection/