Geriatric applications of craniosacral therapy: Established allied professionals' use of a complementary modality

Abstract

This survey provides helpful suggestions for helping older people with a variety of symptoms. Therapist and client reports suggest craniosacral therapy is a helpful modality. “While use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is well-documented in the elderly, little is known about the use of specific modalities other than chiropractic and acupuncture or of practice patterns of allied health professionals who integrate CAM into their clinical practice. Craniosacral therapy (CST), a derivative of osteopathy, was selected for study as over 50,000 health professionals have received training in this modality…” “This paper is based on… in-depth telephone interviews with 20 advanced CST practitioners…” “Given the lack of clinical trials related to this modality, the results of this exploratory study suggest that controlled studies of CST as an adjunct to regular care may be worthwhile, particularly for chronic pain.”