Craniosacral Therapy - Why is the Sacrum Involved?

The soft tissue and cerebrospinal fluid that protect your brain and spinal cord make up the Craniosacral System. This soft tissue, as well as the fascia surrounding it, can have patterns of tension that restrict the ability of the cerebrospinal fluid to flow freely or that cause subtle restrictions on nerves exiting the spinal cord.

This soft tissue is attached to the inside of your cranial bones, to the foramen magnum which is the opening at the base of your skull, to cervical vertebrae 2 and 3, and finally, to the sacrum. Some of the work of Craniosacral Therapy is using those bones as gentle “handles” onto the soft tissue, inviting that soft tissue to relax or release kinks or patterns of tension. This is why your therapist may place their hand underneath your sacrum; they using it to gently mobilize the soft tissue protecting the spinal column.

What fascinates me about Craniosacral Therapy is that it actually becomes more powerful the more subtle it is. For such a gentle practice that is beneficial to a wider population than even massage, many people don’t realize that it is grounded in these very technical, anatomical moves.