Research, Articles & Case Studies

Introduction: Research in body based complementary ther­apies such as Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is often focused on physical outcome measures. This study therefore investigated patients' experiences of CST to reveal additional outcome domains for further clinical trials. 

The glymphatic pathway expedites clearance of waste, including soluble amyloid(A) from the brain. Transport through this pathway is controlled bythe brain’s arousal level because, during sleep or anesthesia,the brain’sinterstitial space volume expands (compared with wakefulness), resulting in faster waste removal. Humans, as well as animals, exhibit different body postures during sleep, which may also affect waste removal. Therefore, not only the level of consciousness, but also body posture, might affect CSF–interstitial fluid (ISF) exchange efficiency. We used dynamic-contrast-enhanced MRI and kinetic modeling to quantify CSF-ISF exchange rates in anesthetized rodents’ brains in supine, prone, or lateral positions. To validate the MRI data and to assess specifically the influence of body posture on clearance of A, we used fluorescence microscopy and radioactive tracers, respectively. The analysis showed that glymphatic transport was most efficient in the lateral position compared with the supine or prone positions. In the prone position, in which the rat’s head was inthe most upright position (mimicking posture duringthe awake state),transport was characterized by “retention” ofthetracer, slower clearance, and more CSF efflux along larger caliber cervical vessels. The optical imaging and radiotracer studies confirmed that glymphatic transport and A clearance were superior in the lateral and supine positions. We propose that the most popular sleep posture (lateral) has evolved to optimize waste removal during sleep and that posture must be considered in diagnostic imaging procedures developed in the future to assess CSF-ISF transport in humans.

This is an Author manuscript pertaining to the discovery of structural and functional features of central nervous system lymphatics. This article explains the findings after an experiment with mice. 

Patients with fibromyalgia (FM) are usually difficult to treat, and new concepts are needed to improve patients’ outcome.

Only recently they reported a promising therapeutic approach in patients with long-standing FM according to the ACR 1990 criteria and limited C1–C2 range of motion based on the flexion–rotation test. After stratification of patients primarily on pre-medication and age, the patients completed a 12-week multimodal program with education, cognitive behavior therapy and exercise. In addition to the multimodal program, patients in the experimental group also received upper cervical manipulative therapy. 

Abstract

Background: Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a commonly used but under-researched therapeutic approach. This case study explores the implementation of CST in the integrative inpatient treatment of sequelae of postoperative meningioma and traumatic brain injury. 

Case: A 50-year-old woman was admitted for 2 weeks of integrative inpatient treatment following meningioma resection and traumatic brain injury. In addition to the integrative treatment approach, which included conventional as well as complementary and alternative medicine, she received five sessions of CST for refractory headaches, vertigo, and cervicobrachial syndrome during this time. At discharge, the reported intensity of her headaches on a 10-cm visual analogue scale decreased from 6–9cm to 2–4cm and her level of vertigo decreased from 6–10cm to 2cm. Her cervical mobility and muscle tension, sleep quality, and general wellbeing also improved. The attending physicians saw CST as having contributed greatly to this improvement alongside use of phytotherapy and hyperthermia. 

Conclusion: Implementation of CST in integrative inpatient care could benefit patients with headache and vertigo from intracranial injuries.