Pregnancy,
Birth, and Post Partum Applications of
Cranial Fluid Dynamics
Solihin Thom DO DAc
In 1980, having
just completed my training at the British School of
Osteopathy, I started a practice in London. Riding the
crest of popularity of the public's acceptance of cranial
osteopathy, we quickly acquired a reputation as a family
practice. The hundreds of mothers and babies we treated
over the next ten years would enhance my understanding of
the key role of Cranial Fluid Dynamics in the resolution of
many pregnancy and birth-related issues.
Cranial Fluid Dynamics enables the shock, rigidity,
compression, and torque within the tissues to be gently
reorganized. The strength of this process is that the
patient's own innate mechanism makes any change, and that
we, as practitioners, simply place our hands on their head
in order to "see" the disturbed tissue. This awareness
places a benign "force" upon the tissues in question. When
we do this, the cranial movement stops by itself, and moves
in to a normal and self-regulatory "still point". The still
point is somewhat like the eye of a hurricane - a
therapeutic place where all the forces that hold us in a
place of unease become balanced. In this case, the
practitioner allows a fulcrum to spontaneously manifest
within the tissues, enabling a still point to occur. It is
during this quietness and stillness that the tissues begin
first to oscillate and then alter their state. The body
comes out of this stillness reorganized, sometimes
dramatically yet often imperceptibly - that is, the patient
doesn't immediately feel any changes. On the part of the
practitioner, however, this would perhaps be palpated as a
change of momentum, amplitude, or duration of the cranial
rhythmic impulse and an observation that the tissues
perceived underneath our hands had changed into a more
physiological norm. Over several sessions the innate
motility of the CNS is gently facilitated back into
function from its dysfunctional state. In this process the
normal physiological homeostasis reorganizes, the mechanism
comes out of adaptation and into a more dynamic state.
Cranial work can prove to be a valuable tool in preparation
for labor and delivery. By reorganizing the bony and
fascial envelope and perineal floor of the pelvis, and
working at the fluid level of the body, the tissues become
more fluid, aligned, and functional. This change at an
internal level actually then facilitates a change in the
psyche of the woman. The osteopathic maxim "structure
governs function" is aptly demonstrated in this
circumstance.
Late Onset of
Labor
A similar method can be used in
women whose labors are overdue. By gently holding the
patient's head, we are able to get a sense of the tissues
around the brain and in particular around the pituitary.
Often, what is apparent is the sense of a "pull" in the
fascia around the infundibulum (pituitary and its stalk),
which is often a direct consequence of a drag right through
the midline fascia of the body. This is often a consequence
of the general fatigue and exhaustion that surrounds late
pregnancy . This again underscores the reciprocal
relationship between the tissues of the body and those of
the cranium. By "mirroring" the patient's state back to her
own body while holding the head, the pituitary once again
starts to move in its seat within the sella turcica. This
is because the brain also reorganizes, and resumes its
normal expansive and contractile phase, slightly lifting
and dropping the pituitary in its seat. This then resets
the normal physiology, and the onset of labor usually
follows shortly thereafter.
Postpartum
Depression
No discussion of the
application of cranial work in the birthing process would
be complete without the mention of post Partum depression
[PND]. Many years ago, I observed such a depression
first-hand in my wife Alicia, shortly after the birth of
our first daughter. On the recommendation of one of my
osteopathic teachers, Stuart Korth, Alicia visited the
school on 3 occasions over a five week period. Stuart
worked with her simply by placing his hands on her head and
gently holding it. By the end of the third treatment, her
state had changed remarkably and her depression was
completely lifted.
At a physiological level, post partum depression is
explained by a "sag" in the pelvic floor, which causes the
pelvic contents to flatten and widen - or more accurately -
to drop. This flattening and widening is known in cranial
terminology as flexion. In this instance, however, the
uterus is unable to move out of flexion and into extension,
the normal rest/repair phase in which the organ should
lengthen and narrow as it moves upward. This abnormal
"drag" is then reflected via the fascia right through the
vertical axis of the body to the sphenoid, locking it and
preventing its normal rhythmical movement. This in turn
exerts a force upon the dural membrane that protects the
pituitary gland and most likely interferes with the
transport of the hormones that it produces. This "domino
effect" may in fact be responsible for the resultant mood
and psychotic changes in postpartum depression which wreak
invisible havoc on a woman's well-being. Fortunately,
cranial work gives us a highly effective technique to
alleviate this condition. It is ideal for the
reorganization of the pelvic and abdominal tissues, bone,
fascia, and muscles to help realign the structures after
childbirth. Perineal healing appears more rapid, exhaustion
dissipates, and a general feeling of well-being is
restored. The incidence of postpartum depression in women
whom I have treated after birth is almost non-existent.
Epidural
Anesthesia
Cranial work is a also of great
benefit for women who have been given an epidural
anesthesia during labor. The irritation and scarring that
sometimes occurs due to epidural puncture can lead to
sciatic and lumbar pain and occasionally persistent and
violent headaches. Judicious cranial work on the lumbar
dural envelope using the fluid as a mediator for healing
and resolution of scarring can reverse any adverse effects
of the epidural procedure.
Newborn Care
I recommend that
newborns be seen as soon as possible after birth. Not
because labor is dangerous or cause for concern, but simply
the recognition that birth leaves an indelible mark on all
our tissues and in particular on the osseous, dural, and
visceral components of the head. Babies whom I have treated
have miraculously changed their suckling habits, slept with
greater ease, and been more active during waking hours.
Even more serious problems, such as seizures, misshapen
heads, twisted lower limbs, and chronic ear infections have
been resolved using this gentle approach.
It is certainly true that not every problem that is
presented will have a simple and immediate resolution.
Indeed, some cases will necessitate a series of cranial
treatments before significant progress is noted. On the
whole, however, cranial work is gaining recognition as a
gentle, noninvasive, and effective means of treatment for
what have often been viewed as insurmountable and
persistent problems surrounding pregnancy and childbirth.
©1992 all rights reserved - S. Thom