Physical Therapy: Muscle Energy Techniques (MET) and Craniosacral therapy

Craniosacral therapy

What is it?: Craniosacral therapy is the alternative and holistic system that utilizes palpatation to "listen" (literally, some therapists claim to be able to hear the CSF flow with their hands) to the rhythmic pulse and tide of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) throughout the brain and spine. Restrictions in the movement of the cranial sutures cause abnormalities in the CSF flow which in turn leads to disease.

What does it cure: Craniosacral therapy claims to ameliorate the following symptoms: headaches, migraines, neck and back pain, motor coordination and CNS difficulties, Temporamandibular joint (TMJ) dsyfunction, autism (!?), chronic fatigue, depression, attention deficit disorder (ADD), and many others.

How it works: Light palpations and massage of the cranium along cranial sutures to release restrictions in the in the CSF flow.

Verdict: Absolute nonsense. Anatomy 101 teaches that the cranial bones fuse together at the end of adolescence. While there is evidence that the CSF does exhibit a rhythm, no significant causal relationship has been proven between it and a person's health. The claims of listening to the CSF rhythm through gentle palpations border on the absurd, in one instance suggesting the ability to discuss with what one proponent of the treatment calls the "inner physician" which seems more akin to spiritual rather than scientific medicine. Studies have shown that measurements of CSF rhythmic rates are significantly inconsistent among therapists. Moreover, some of the dysfunctions that Craniosacral therapy claims to heal are spurious, autism for instance is still a mystery as far as causes and cures go. I suppose there may be some value in the massage techniques utilized in the system but not for the reasons Craniosacral osteopaths claim. There's always a possible psychological placebo affect that could occur as well. Otherwise, the therapy is completely sketchy. It is the physical therapy and osteopathy equivalent to psychology's phrenology.

Muscle Energy Techniques

What is it: Muscle Energy technique is a method of phsical therapy that utilizes joint manipulation and isometric contractions to address decreased range of motion and muscular hypertonicity caused by injury.

What does it cure: Joint pain, musclular hypertonicity, and decreased range of motion.

How does it work:  MET is a direct and active therapy system, meaning it attacks the barriers of movement directly and require active participation on the part of the patient. The therapist manipulates the joints to the evaluate the extent of the patient's decreased range of motion, then places the joint at the barrier of movement and the patient participates in isometric contractions. The isometric conctractions take advantage of reflexive reciprocal inhibition, essentially when the antagonist of a joint is contracted, the agonist is inhibited and relaxed allowing further mobility of the impaired joint. The therapist then continues to further push the restricted movement until range of motion is recovered.

Verdict: MET is a functional and scientific approach to treating decreased range of motion in patients. The technique is similar to propioception neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching.