Anyone Have Success with Cranial Sacral Therapy for Post Concussion??
 

Hi,
It will be 4 months this week that I am suffering from post concussion.
The main symptoms are intracranial pressure (all the time) and neck pain.
I have been seeing a physical therapist who treats me with cranial sacral therapy but he only works on my head/neck and not my sacral area.
Seems to give me some relief but only temporarily. Anyone have successs with this therapy and if so, how long did it take?
Very depressed and frustrated :-(

kdog,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

How do you know you are suffering from intracranial pressure ?

Is the PT working your skull ?

Is he working with your neck ?

What does he do ?

There has been no research to validate SCT for PCS. Further, the research done seriously discredits CST as used to 'manipulate' the skull plates or 'read' the skull to diagnose any condition.

There is value to CST spinal work.

The only NT post I remember referring to CST head work commented about it increasing head aches.

There is no single therapy/treatment that resolved PCS symptoms.

What else are you doing to help with recovery ?

What do you do during each day ?

How is your sleep ?

I just read your New Member Introductions. It is rare that those who follow the PCS forum read New member Introductions.

You complain about head forward problems. This is not uncommon. If your PT has not been able to help with this, you need to find a different therapist. Upper cervical chiropractic may help. http://www.nucca.org/find_doctor.php or http://www.atlasorthogonality.com/Pa...e/aboutAO.html

Be careful if you try a generic chiro. The twist the head and pop the neck is too aggressive for the subtle upper neck injuries many have.

You also need to be very disciplined with your head and neck posture during rest and sleep. You can undo any improvements by bad posture during sleep.

I only think it is intracranial pressure because of my own personal research on
spinal fluid imbalance and symptoms sound like mine. I try to rest during the day if symptoms get bad, drink plenty of fluid and take vitamins, eat protein, meditation, short walks, the usual recommendations. The cranial sacral is my only therapy as of now. My doctor wants me to get an MRI ( initially had CT scan that was fine) and neurologist wants me on anti-depressants which I declined.
Sleep sucks. I take Xanax at night to help fall asleep but never get a full 8 hrs...ever :-(

Thanks but I'm kinda gun shy when it comes to chiropractors!
What do you mean disciplined with neck during rest and sleep? Any suggestions?

I've been getting cranial sacral therapy for a while now, and one thing I can say it has definitely helped with is dizziness I get when lying down with my eyes closed (probably the most agreeable of my symptoms!). In fact, this has pretty much been the only therapy I've tried where I've actually felt confident in pointing to it and saying "that helped". I've gotten CST from osteopaths, and from what I understand there's a lot of variation in experience and training required. The osteopaths I've seen have told me osteopaths trained specifically in this kind of manipulation are the most experienced, but then again, of course they'd say that!

They've done work on my skull, neck, shoulders, back and sacrum. It seemed the neck work was what helped with dizziness.

Thanks so much! I am trying to find a osteopath that does the complete cranial sacral as you described. My PT keeps telling me I will get better in time but it's so frustrating not being "ME" anymore. Does your insurance cover your CS therapy?

jon,

I'm glad to hear you say the neck work is what appears to show benefits. The skull work has been well research and been soundly refuted. The spinal work is where they have the best chance at helping. For this reason, most refer to it as Osteopathic Therapy or Osteopathic Manipulation since it no longer includes skull work.

A few years ago, while researching CST, I found a web site and blog written by an Osteopath (DO) who also teaches at the premier osteopathic college. He wrote from a science based position and had access to the research. He had both good and bad things to say about the ways osteopathic colleges teach and graduate their doctors of osteopathy.

kdog,

Why are you afraid of chiros ? They are safer that many MD's. I've had my neck worked on by two DO's and many chiros. I'd choose a chiro first but I am picky about the chiros I allow to work on me. What kind of doctor are you seeing ? Did that doc prescribe the Xanax and suggest anti-depressants ? What anti-depressant did he suggest ? The common AD med prescribed in low doses for PCS insomnia and headache is much safer than Xanax, a benzo.

What vitamins are you taking ? Please be specific if you can.

Too much water can be problematic. Some fluids do not replace water well.

There are two main sources for intracranial pressure. ICP is usually considered cerebral spinal fluid pressure. Blood pressure can have similar symptoms. Taking your blood pressure can sometimes help you understand these symptoms better. Upper neck injuries can mess up how the head feels, too.

Until you find someone who can help you with your neck, any help with posture discipline would be of no value.

Thanks Mark. My primary care physician prescribed the Xanax. A neurologist who shuffled me in and out of her office so fast I was barely in there 4min. prescribed Elavil which I am not taking. Years ago, when I was going thru a bad spell, I was prescribed an anti depressant and did not do well with it. The doctor told me it would take trying a few different ones to figure out which was a good fit for me. I never continued with that and I doubt I will do it now.
I take 1000 IU Vit D, 100 Mg CoQ10, 50 mg B complex, 2000 mg Vit.C, Fish oil and Calcium w/magnesium. My blood pressure is fine so I'm assuming it is issues with the ICP.
I'm at the point where I don't have the motivation to seek out any further help, the doctors, specialists etc. here have been clueless and I just continue to dole out co-pays or full payment if not covered.
Massage seems to feel great on my neck but again, it is just temporary relief.
What would you say is the most beneficial??

I tried cranial sacral for a few months and feel like it did nothing for me, maybe even made me feel worse. My practitioner was well trained and did work on the head, spine but not neck area. Acupuncture has helped me more - you have to find someone well trained and try it over a period of time. I also found a good PT to work on my neck, which has helped relieve some of the pressure feeling I was getting inside of my head.

Unfortunately I have found we just have to keep searching for things that help us. There will be things along the way that do not help. Money and time will be wasted, but we keep searching. You will find something. Get a family member to help with the search if you can.