Recently I collided with my 13-year-old son, as we were both busy in the kitchen. Now that he is just a little taller than me our heads banged together! I remember when his head used to hit my hip! I am very sensitive to my head being hit and I could feel myself immediately get very irritable and a lot more reactive to things that usually don’t bother me. There was a part of me very fascinated by the observations I was making. Our nervous system is so complex and amazing. Back in 2015, I worked on the Concussion Intensive Program and research study. We were working with former NFL players who were dealing with health issues related to the long-term consequences of multiple concussions. A research article was published from the data gathered at the intensive treatment programs called CranioSacral Therapy and Visceral Manipulation: A New Treatment Intervention for Concussion Recovery.
We are seeing concussions being diagnosed a lot more now and I am noticing that in my clinical practice too. Last week my teenage daughter’s friend came to receive CST for a concussion. Three weeks beforehand she was hit on the back of the head by a soccer ball. She carried on with her usual activities the next day but ended up with a terrible headache, nausea, and fatigue. When she came in to see me she was getting daily headaches and fatigue. Since she knew very little about CST, she was understandably very nervous about our session. I carried out my evaluation and initially supported the pelvic area in opening up, then went on to work with the neck and cranium. As the structures started to open up she noticed that through the first half of her treatment the headache increased from a 6 to 7. She then fell asleep (so much for being nervous!) and at the end of the session, the headache was at a 4. I explained that her symptoms might come and go over the next 24 hours after the treatment. I checked in with her 2 days later and she had her first headache-free day and was feeling much better. We have set up one more appointment and I think she will be good to go after that. In my clinical experience of treating concussion, I have seen that the sooner the symptoms of a concussion are treated the quicker the recovery. If you have had a concussion what have been your symptoms and how did you treat it? Before I sign off for the month I wanted to share a little bit of book news. Robyn and I are delighted to have an article titled, "Ethical Standards: How we interact with clients," published in the Massage and Body Work magazine this month. We have been very happy to see the response to our book and as authors, it is very exciting to see two 5 star reviews on Amazon describing how much the book has helped them with their business success. For all our colleagues who have taken classes with the IAHE, our book is now available on their website. Please purchase your book on their website to support an organization that is dear to us.