Introduction To Research
Research supporting Osteopathy in the Cranial Field (OCF) had been well established in the scientific literature long before William Garner Sutherland.
Research supporting Osteopathy in the Cranial Field (OCF) had been well established in the scientific literature long before William Garner Sutherland.
Motion of the central nervous system anatomy has been well documented in research studies from multiple sources mostly outside the osteopathic profession.
CSF flows through the ventricles of the brain and within the spaces around the brain and spinal cord. Sutherland described this motion as fluctuant in nature.
The existence of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord is well documented in anatomic research and utilized in medical practice.
Cranial bone motion has been the most controversial phenomenon of the Primary Respiratory Mechanism (PRM), but there is ample evidence that the cranial bones do rhythmically move.
It is an anatomical fact that the sacrum moves between the ilia. It simply would not be possible for humans to walk or run if the sacral-iliac joints did not allow for motion.
The effectiveness of OCF has been consistently demonstrated in a number of clinical studies. Research has been performed on treatment of the following clinical conditions:
Inter-examiner reliability studies of cranial palpation are notoriously difficult to design well, and, as a result have been inadequate in demonstrating consistent findings across examiners.
This compendium of research was compiled in 1999 by the Research Committee of the Osteopathic Cranial Academy.
A Glossary of Terms, that will assist you in understanding the above Research pages.
In 1874, while a physician on the Missouri frontier, Andrew Taylor Still discovered that he had the ability to put his hands on people and change their physiology.
Osteopathy is not a set of techniques; rather it is a philosophy. This philosophy, based upon sound principles, is simple and very sensible.
William Garner Sutherland DO (1873-1954) graduated from the American School of Osteopathy (ASO) in 1900.
“An osteopath reasons from his knowledge of anatomy. He compares the work of the abnormal body with the normal body.”
After a thorough history is taken and any pertinent physical examination is provided, the patient will then lie down on the table.