Head Injury
Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) or concussion, is a disturbance in normal brain function caused by the brain suddenly moving within or against the skull, usually after a blow to the head or body.
The pathology of concussion, exactly what happens to the brain and body, is still surprisingly poorly understood.
The initial knock can cause bruising and swelling at the site of impact, while the forces that shake and stretch the brain are thought to cause diffuse damage to neurons, triggering a complex cascade of cellular and chemical change and tissue damage over days or weeks. TBI can disrupt the brain’s ability to cleanse excess fluid and waste, vital for maintaining cell health, connectivity, and communication between neurons and glial cells.
This can disrupt the brain’s delicate circuitry and affect the way we think, sleep, move and feel.
Often the damage done cannot be seen on standard MRIs and CT scans.
There is a lack of understanding why some people experience symptoms beyond the typical recovery period of one to three months.
Its complex, lingering cognitive and emotional issues can be the result of physical brain damage or altered connections between neural networks.
Sometimes an overreaction in the body to protect can produce a destructive inflammatory response that hinders recovery.
In a nutshell concussion can cause dysfunction in the autonomic nervous system ANS which controls cerebral blood flow, breathing and heart rate.
This can have a systemic knock-on effect with digestion and overall wellbeing.
The anatomy of the accident can trigger whiplash injury to the neck and the rest of the spine so symptoms can linger and overlap.
CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle, non-invasive hands-on therapy that can help with post-concussion syndrome. CST focuses on enhancing brain fluid flow and waste clearance. A TBI involves the whole person so the CST therapist works with whole body patterns related to the TBI.
The therapist uses a light touch to evaluate restrictions in the spinal Dural membrane and the cranial Dural membranes. Examination is done by testing for movement of fascia in various parts of the body and in the cranial membranes and cranial bones. Sometimes the evaluations and facilitation of easing of restrictions can reduce overall tension patterns and enable the whole system to self-correct.
Sometimes the blow to the head can cause compression in areas that may need more patient persistent facilitation over time to fully release.
What the client usually experiences during and after the treatments is an easing of their symptoms and a state of relaxation. The body in its previous hyper alert state can now rest, digest, and recover.
We refer to this as helping the body out of raised sympathetic tone due to the trauma and into a parasympathetic state of rest, digest, and ease.
This is when the body can start healing itself.