04/29/2025
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Enhancing Fluid Flow After TBI Helps the Brain Recover
Written by Tad Wanveer, LMBT, CST-D
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) contributes to worldwide death and disability more than any other traumatic insult (Dickerson et al., 2022). Approximately seventy million individuals worldwide are estimated to sustain a TBI each year (Dewan et al., 2018), and most TBIs that occur yearly are mild (aka concussion) (Nguyen et al. 2016). TBI can disrupt the brain’s ability to cleanse excess fluid and waste, vital for maintaining cell health, connectivity, and communication between neurons and glial cells. Because CNS injuries and diseases can be associated with accumulated cellular waste (Iliff et al. 2012), therapeutic options, such as CranioSacral Therapy, that focus on enhancing brain fluid flow and waste clearance, can be essential in TBI recovery. In a recent study of TBI by Dickerson et al., CV-4 technique was used, followed by the lymphatic pump technique. The results of the study show that in response to treatment, the following occurred: enhanced cerebrospinal fluid and interstitial fluid flow, a reduction in glial cell activation (neuroinflammation) that may have led to improvement in water channels, called Aquaporin-4s, reduction in anxiety-like behaviors, and improvement in brain function (Dickerson et al. 2022). TBI involves the whole person, not solely the brain. Upledger CranioSacral Therapy practitioners work with whole-body patterns related to TBI and many other conditions while utilizing techniques such as CV-4 and others to enhance fluid flow throughout the brain and body, which is essential for health and healing.
Dewan, M. C., A. Rattani, S. Gupta, R. E. Baticulon, Y. C. Hung, M. Punchak, A. Agrawal, A. O. Adeleye, M. G. Shrime, A. M. Rubiano, J. V. Rosenfeld, and K. B. Park. 2018. "Estimating the global incidence of traumatic brain injury." J Neurosurg:1-18. doi: 10.3171/2017.10.Jns17352.
Dickerson, M., S. Murphy, N. Hyppolite, P. G. Brolinson, and P. VandeVord. 2022. "Osteopathy in the Cranial Field as a Method to Enhance Brain Injury Recovery: A Preliminary Study." Neurotrauma Rep 3 (1):456-472. doi: 10.1089/neur.2022.0039.
Iliff, J. J., M. Wang, Y. Liao, B. A. Plogg, W. Peng, G. A. Gundersen, H. Benveniste, G. E. Vates, R. Deane, S. A. Goldman, E. A. Nagelhus, and M. Nedergaard. 2012. "A paravascular pathway facilitates CSF flow through the brain parenchyma and the clearance of interstitial solutes, including amyloid β." Sci Transl Med 4 (147):147ra111. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3003748.
Nguyen, Rita, Kirsten M. Fiest, Jane McChesney, Churl-Su Kwon, Nathalie Jette, Alexandra D. Frolkis, Callie Atta, Sarah Mah, Harinder Dhaliwal, Aylin Reid, Tamara Pringsheim, Jonathan Dykeman, and Clare Gallagher. 2016. "The International Incidence of Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien
CranioSacral Therapy Applications for Concussion (CSTAC)
Prerequisite: SomatoEmotional Release 1 (SER1)
Did you know we have a CranioSacral Therapy Applications for Concussion (CSTAC) class? For dates and details: http://ow.ly/b52f50LRnep
