The brain must expand and contract in a continuous cycle to create excellent brain function at birth.
This creating motion is needed to pump cerebrospinal fluid throughout the head, around the spinal cord, and into the body’s connective tissue. The head bones expand and contact slightly with the motion of the brain.
As a general rule, the more efficiently the newborn’s brain breathes, the better it can function. The sacrum (tailbone) must move in sync with the brain and cranial bones in the combined craniosacral system.
After a traumatic birth the soft tissue over the brain and spine can tighten and restrict this craniosacral motion. If the fluid does not move freely, it can predispose the baby to many difficulties – especially in the area of digestion, cramping, constipation and reflux.
A baby’s connective tissue that binds together every cell, bone, muscle and organ in the body must also be unrestricted for optimal brain function. Since connective tissue can store trauma, from birth, and other life events, it can cause a strain and a pull on the brain, as well as other areas of the body.
In South Africa, where most people grow up playing contact sport, and have lived active, outdoor lives, many adults also struggle with tight connective tissue (fascia) which has scars from bumps, bruises and accidents. A significant number of adults also suffer from whiplash and concussion injuries, which create tension in the connective tissue and over the neck and head.
