Craniosacral massage
 

Hi, this has been mentioned before by PCS Mcgee and I was wondering what it involved etc and was it by a PT, osteopath or chiropractor?

I have the opportunity to go to a chiropractor for this but don't want to go upsetting my neck which was injured 26 years ago in my car accident.

Will it get rid of the feeling that my head is not attached to my spine properly?

Lynlee

Craniosacral work can be performed by either a Cranial Osteopath or a someone who's trained in Craniosacral Therapy.

The therapy works on the whole of the spine, as its name suggests (cranio meaning cranium/skull, and sacral meaning sacrum, which is the bone at the end of the spine). One of its primary goals is to establish a clean pathway between these two points, so yes, I would believe that it would get rid of that feeling if the therapy works as its supposed to.

My response to Craniosacral Therapy
 

Lynlee - I was in a motor vehicle accident in Dec 2006 & I too suffered traumatic brain injury. I was in a coma for 31 days & bordered death for quite a while. I live very close to The Upledger Institute (the pioneer of Craniosacral Therapy) and began going to CS Therapy in June of 2007.

Not only did CS Therapy feel wonderful ... I felt as though my body was getting lighter and a layer of "filth" (pain) was being pulled off of me. I would recommend it to ANYONE, especially those of us who've suffered from TBI.

Best of luck to you and lots of love!

Joe

My visit to the chiropractor etc
 

Well -------- I just about don't know where to start!

I spent about 2 hours having my spine and skull poked and prodded, answering questions, and tests.

*the temperature of my head taken in about 10 different places
*blood pressure taken both arms
*weighed with feet on different sets of scales
*eyes open and then shut marching on the spot
*plus more.

You may think that is nothing unusual - well it is the first time in my 6 and half years that I have had those tests - I am now thinking how basic and am angry that they have not been completed before.

My MRI which was taken last year was looked at and immediately abnormalities were picked up - we are yet to discuss them - again I am so angry - anger - such a waste of energy. The absolute worst thing that can happen to a brain injured person is to be treated so poorly and inadequately by the supposed health professionals - mean nasty vicious and dishonourable comes to mind.

X rays were taken - yet to hear about them as it turns out a temp was doing the processing and wrecked them - so will have to do them again - and it is a 2and half hour drive away - groan - I have been told that they wil discuss immediately after redoing them.

I have been told that I have pressure ridges on my skull, that my spine and surrounding areas are very sore - I kind of knew but my brain hurt more so you don't really notice these things much.

She also said that if she didn't know my history that she knew I would be feeling really awful and in a lot of pain. She believes that I can be made to feel at least 50% better, but would take about 2 years with my spine being sorted out first and my skull last. Apparently it would be a waste of time only doing my skull without the spine being sorted.

Something of interest is that she said the 2nd vertebrae in your neck is the one that can effect your headaches and nausea - can give you migraines. So all of you with continuous bad headaches may want to have your spine looked at.

My problem is that after the very gentle poking and prodding (nothing else) I was in a lot of pain for a couple of days. Lucky I was on holiday as I would not have managed my 3 hours of work.

I was told if I start treatment that I would probably feel worse before feeling better. I honestly don't know if I could cope with feeling worse for any length of time - I feel that I am at the max end of the coping levels now and also if I had to take more time off work - like going from full time to my 3 hours per day is hard enough but to have more time off........ If there was a guarantee I would quit my job and see if I could survive 2 years with no income - don;t think that my insurer would pick this up. Also I would lose my practising Certificate - I think I can take a years leave from the Association and that is it.

After the provigal drug disaster at Xmas I am too scared to get too excited about this as I don't think I would deal with another false hope very well.

Anyway snooze time - if I think of anything else (no doubt I will) I will add and edit later.

Would love opinions from you all. Thankyou for listening

Lynlee

Would somebody
 

Please give me an opinion on what I wrote above -


Would you go for it given that I might have to stop working and that I would lose my practicing certificate which would mean that it would be difficult for me to work again???

Do you know anything about this treatment.

Does anybody know what pressure ridges are?????????

Lynlee

Hi Lucy
 

Good Evening Lynlee, It good to see your on fire again sounds like your Holiday did you some good and I hope you got some wind in your hair.

My experience: I went to a Chiropractor for 2.5 years and started treatment the day I got out of the Hospital at that time my spine was elongated, twisted and recompressed and I was in very bad shape as I could not walk into the office on my own my brother had to help me into the office. My first several treatments I had to sit in a chair as I was unable to lay down on the treatment table and this went on for 3 weeks everyday.

My Chiropractor was the only person who was willing to treat me because I had no insurance at the time and he believed in miracles as I do. It's a miracle that I'm not dead and that I am able to re build my life today and a huge part of the healing process was done by this man as he was more concerned with my health and well being then my ability to pay and there lies the difference.

There was a sign in my Chiropractors office that read. Your Health Care Treatment Here is not dependent on your ability to pay and in the 2.5 years my Chiropractor never ask me for a dime, his response was I'll see you tomorrow, what can I do to help, we're making progress, let my staff help you with those forms let us help you get back on your feet and never ever give up. Sounds like an Irishman to me.

I don't know if this helps,Lynlee but I do know that the Chiropractor treatments save my life and that I would not be were I am today if I had not had those treatments

Take Care Jeffn

Thank you Jeffn
 

I am going to my GP at 5p.m and will have a chat with him about all this. He had PCS at Medical School so he is will have a good idea. It is a real pain having to do the x rays again. Things like that really really annoy me.

Did you feel worse before feeling better with your chiropractor or was it that you were feeling so hideous it didn't make a lot of difference initially?? Sounds like he performed miracles!! You were so lucky to have found him!

Looking forward to going to Joe Cocker on Monday - Monday is a public holiday over here - my Christmas present from my kids.

Lynlee

I can give you some links about the c1/c2 {atlas & axis} adjustments and the symptoms if out of adjustment.

Chiropractic care info- a good one can help with many symptoms:
http://www.upcspine.com/self.htm
http://www.uppercervical.org/subpag...b/about_faq.php
http://www.spineuniverse.com/index.html
http://www.coloradochiropractic.org/.../glossary.html

pressure ridges-
I know I get lumpy & sore spots that come and go on my scalp- for me it's all related to how tense/tight my neck muscles get.

GOOD Evening Lucy
 

Hi Lynlee, I really don't know how I felt I had just come out of a coma for 4 days, my brain was swelled up inside my skull and I could barely walk. Not a good day at the office.

It's good that your asking question ?

Take Care Jeffn

Ps: I hope you enjoy the Cocker show he did some good stuff DONT BUMP YOUR HEAD.

Hi.
 

I went to 2 different Cranioscacral PT's for my TBI headaches and had worse head pain for days afterwards. Works for some people and the pressure is so slight but didn't help me. I can't even wear a hat without my headache getting much worse so I should have known better. I'm trying everything, ya know?

Lynlee,
I am so sorry you are having so much frustration. I wish I knew more about the cranial sacral therapies but i do not and thus, feel unworthy to comment. If it is causing alot of pain and you feel pretty hesitant, maybe you should wait a little. You do not need to add to an already full plate. That may be the best thing, rest give yourself some time and then approach the therapy. You are a very strong woman, but even strong people have to pace their challenges carefully and you have to be ready for them. Carry on as you do so well!

Hi Lynlee, I think you should follow your instincts on this. Maybe a second opinion would help too. Have you considered taking a few month off from work so you wouldn't lose you license? Maybe by then you would know if the treatments are working or not. I am sure this is a difficult decision for you and it would be wonderful if you could get better.

My GP Visit
 

Hi, this is my 2nd attempt at this posting - somehow I managed to delete the first one I did and couldn't undo it - goodness only knows how I managed to do that!

Anyway, my GP and I have an agreement that we will always be brutually honest with each other. So told all about the chiropractor etc and all my fears about it. He told me that he had never heard of any miracles with PCS being cured by a chiropractor or an osteopath and that they often promise more than can be practically delivered. (And I have had enough disappointments over the years)

Regarding my neck = as it has been problem free for sometime it would not be a good idea to interfere with it = that is what I am thinking as well.

So anyway my nortriptyline has been upped to 75mg from 50mg (apparently 50 mg is like a muscle relaxant to send you to sleep) and now I am on low antidepressant levels. I knew that I was on the way to being depressed again as I was panicking about very minor things again - I guess at least I knew I was like that - it would be worse if I didn't.

So now I think I will repeat the x rays that the temp accidentally wrecked and make my decision upon what they show up.

Yesterday I gave myself a major scare, I was on my mini step ladder (only 2 steps on it) putting Xmas decorations away in the cupboard above the fridge, when I went to step down I thought that I was stepping onto the 1st step but it was actually the floor which was a lot closer than I thought so lost balance went staggering backwards, fell flat on my back and but some instinct made me hold my head up - if not it would have hit the cupboards across the other side of the kitchen. I was very very lucky. Could understand it if I had glasses on with the bit of a gap in your sight, but since having my eyes lasered I didn't think I would be so clumbsy again.

Went and checked out the vineyard yesterday that is having the Joe Cocker concert tomorrow - really nice place- so looking forward to it!!

Hi Lucy
 

Lynlee, Sounds like you had a good chat with your GP. It would be interesting to read what your X-Rays show.

The Chiropractic work I had done were not to treat the PCS symptoms. This therapy was used to put my spine back in alignment so my body could heal itself. The result from this therapy were positive for me but it took a long time.

I did a little research on Craniosacral Massage and I understand the principals in this type of therapy. Ran across a good book on this subject Touchstone for Natural Healing by John Upledger and I'll see if I can find a copy at the book store next week.

Thanks for sharing Lynlee.

Take Care Jeffn

Lynlee, i'm glad to read that you did not hit your head. My son was walking up an icy driveway over Christmas breck and i watched him fall and really overeacted. He did not hit his head but I told him that if and when he ever falls again try to do whatever you can not to land on your head. He has so put his head injury behind him but I have not and probably never will. The mother protective instinct is such a powerful and beautiful thing. That kind of love is so easy and simple. Stay well and enjoy your concert.

Chiropractor thoughts
 

Still being new to all this PCS stuff, I'm not sure how much advice I can provide, but I know it has been very, very helpful to just read about other people's challenges and successes. Nancy -- I think of your son every day and keep hold of the thought that my son will too be back to normal and this will be a distant memory -- for him at least!

Quick update: My son is about 5 weeks into PCS; we're meeting with a Neuropsychologist tomorrow (Dr. McGrath) for some neuro-cognitive testing and an action plan; an MRI is scheduled for next week; we have an appointment with a private Neurosurgeon (Dr. Cantu) next week for a 2nd opinion. His headaches are still debilitating, he's not back to school and our lives are still upside-down. (Nancy -- thank you so much for pointing us in the right direction!)

To help manage the headaches, I have been taking him to my chiropractor who I love and swear by. I started going after having my first baby 10 years ago and never stopped through 3 more kids for chronic back pain -- which is gone -- as well as the regular pulls and pains of my busy life. He is not treating the concussion, rather making sure his spine is aligned and working to loosen the area at the top of his spine at the bottom of his neck. He is using laser therapy and massage. I can't say that it definitely makes a difference or that it will in the long run. I do know that it is not hurting anything and that my son feels good when he's there. Last week, his good days seemed to coincide with those appointments, but that could be just a coincidence. It's covered by my insurance, and the $25 co-pay is well worth the hour of respite. We are also seeing an occupational therapist who practices cranial psychotherapy. She is doing "pressure points" and "zero balancing" with him. Something about relaxing the sutchers (spelling?) and jump starting his brain into healing itself...I'm not completely sold, but it's the same scenario with the chiropractor -- he likes going and it seems to help.

Just one more thing -- you are your only advocate. Sounds like you've fallen through the cracks more than once. I write down everything the doctors tell me (mostly so I can remember what to share with my husband), I journal my son's condition, and I go in to my appointments armed with a list of questions. I've also made friends (they may not agree since I'm a pest!) with the admins in my doctor's offices -- they know best how things work. We have been extremely dissapointed in Children's Hospital. They have the resources that we need, but it has taken way too long to figure that out, and the appointments we need are booking about 4 weeks out. Unacceptable to us, so we've gone elsewhere, even though it's been a struggle to figure out where and sort all the insurance stuff out.

I wish for good days ahead for you.

sbosco,
You are still early in the healing phase. I am glad you are going to Dr. McGrath, he will help you plan ahead and keep you calm. I also brought my son to a chiropracter but he thought he was getting worse, so I stopped. He was already going there prior to his head injury, so we continued with the appts. Im sure these appts. are fine and may be helping. Anything that keeps him calm will be helpful. He is young, so do not worry about school. He will be able to catch up, even if it means making up over the summer. I am confident, that he will get better. One thing I have learned is the brain takes awhile to heal, unlike bones etc, but it will heal. I also remember when we were at your stage, that I could not be told enough, the words from others, that he will get better. He will get better! He is young, early in his injury and has not had that many prior injuries. I am sure Dr. Cantu will tell you that you will see improvement in three months. Remain hopeful, many others have made full recoverys. Take care and stay in touch.

Interesting Link
 

Interesting Link Lynlee

Cerebrospinal Fluid Technique-The Flow

Take Care Jeffn