[postconcussion]

Has anyone see an osteopath for neck injury or PcS?

Today my PCP recommended one to me.


It is not covered so I was wondering if it was worth it.

Thank you.

[Mark in Idaho]

If the osteopath is going to do cranial sacral work on you, I would be very hesitant to spend the money. If he only uses some of the cranial sacral techniques but does not do the "cranial reading" he might be worth a try.

Cranial reading or diagnosing is done by feeling your skull. From that they believe they can diagnose many maladies in the whole body. They also claim to be able to move the cranial plates. Odd, since they are fully fused by about 20 years of age, much earlier in most people.

The important area to get diagnosed is the atlas to occiput or occipital condyle.(Occiput-Atlas Joint )

There is a diagnostic technique to determine if this joint is out. While lying on your back, the physician has you drop your chin to your chest by only moving at the OA joint, not any of the lower neck vertebra. If you nose goes off center, there is a restriction in the OA joint. They also do a range of motion test from side to side measuring how many degrees of rotation you have to the right and left.

You have an opportunity to interview some physicians or their staff to find one who has skills to diagnose the OA joint. NUCCA chiros and Low Force Technique or Minimal Force technique chiros often have these skills.

Good luck with your treasure hunt. If you find the right physician, he/she will be a treasure.

[comeback_kid_11]

I just wanted to add a bit more about Cranio-Sacral therapy offered by osteopaths. It may be considered "alternative" type of medicine so it can be hard for some people to appreciate since it is different from the evidence based medicine we are used to. For example they talk a lot about feeling "energies".

I had my first appointment with one on Friday. She was very thorough on explaining everything. She did say it once was common knowledge in Western medicine that the bones of the skull fused once you hit mid-20s. But now, there actually is a lot of evidence out there supporting that cranial bones do have movement.

The idea of the therapy is to encourage the regular cranio-sacral rhythms of cerebrospinal fluid to improve healing. I was definitely apprehensive of the whole idea at first, and still am to be honest. I have heard some people have had positive results with it and since I am lucky enough to have insurance coverage for this therapy; I figured it was worth giving a shot. I am willing to try anything that may help at this point.

After the first session I can say it was relaxing and certainly didn't hurt; but hard to say if it will lead to improvements for me. I can certainly keep you updated on how the treatments are going.

[Mark in Idaho]

The science is not just about the issue of cranial plates moving or not. Studies have been done where multiple CST practitioners are told to diagnose the same patients. There is little to no consistency between their diagnoses. Their observation of the CS Fluid rhythms are all over the map.

An instructor at a respected Osteopathic College has written extensively about the many fallacies of CST. The manipulative skills on the spine can be of benefit but the cranial work has no consistency or logical basic.

There are many skills an osteopath may have that can be useful other than CST. If they take a more hands-on and wholistic approach, they will not get stuck in the common MD system of doubt the patient.

Just like chiros, you need to use common sense and rational thought. Just because they say it is so, does not make it so.

[postconcussion]

Thank you for the information. Before seeing an osteopath I took a cervical spine series xray.



The impression was that there was a mild reversal of the cervical lordosis.

Any thoughts or information? Thanks.

[Mark in Idaho]

From my quick research, your condition can have two causes.

It can be due to disk misplacement which can sometimes be treated by a chiro, PT, or other therapist with traction etc.

It can also be caused by muscle spasms. These muscle spasms could also be the cause of head aches and difficulties sleeping.

Muscle relaxants (Soma) can help but needs to be considered with caution. If the muscle relaxant causes the muscles to be too relaxed, you could cause either further injury or an different injury. Muscles are an integral part of spine health. Allowing them to become relaxed when they are needed for spine support can lead to other problems.

Massage by someone with good knowledge about such a condition can be helpful. Many massage therapist are too generic in their skill set for my taste. A multi-discipline spine clinic may be a good place to find a good treatment program.

btw, This condition is a reversal of the normal curve in the cervical spine.