Adrienne Langelier Running

The name sounds kinda cool, but what the heck is it? I had my first experience with this decades-old treatment modality by Jarrett Smilie of Body Mechanix (as if I'd go to anyone else?!) this past Thursday. I will attempt to describe it in this post.

To provide a little background into the technique, CranioSacral Therapy (CST) was developed by Dr. John Upedger, a professor of biomechanics a Michigan State University. Like ART and other massage techniques, CST is designed to relieve bodily pain and tension; allowing the body to relax and function more effectively. Where CST differs is that it is utilizes a light touch and focuses on the Central Nervous System, notably the cerebrospinal tract. Unlike relieving muscular knots and tension that traditional MT targets, CST relieves pressure on the brain and spinal cord (don't know about you, but I would want light touch on my brain and SC!!) and allowing for more natural function of the nervous system. This is important because, well, our CNS drives everything! The target area for intervention is the head/neck region down to the sacrum-which is an important area for a runner to take care of.

By resetting CNS rhythm and relieving pressure, CST is designed to address issues such as headaches, fatigue, stress, muscle tension, and other nervous system problems. The idea is to restore CNS function to better let the body work uninhibited and "do it's thing".

Thursday I laid down on the table and was taken aback with how light Jarrett worked, examining my feet and neck to read spinal fluid rhythms. I won't lie-I was waiting for him to "bring the pain" as he so often skillfully does-but this wasn't part of the day's protocol. Ironically enough (see above paragraph), I came into the studio feeling a considerable amount of stress, and halfway through the session, felt it begin to lessen. At one point, when having my neck ("reset") I actually teared up involuntarily-strange, I know. The light, steady touch was barely noticeable, but it did relieve the tightness in my chest and shoulders from the previous day's threshold run.  All in all, this was a unique, relaxing, and helpful experience. The fact that Jarrett can both press firmly and lightly with such accuracy speaks volumes of his skill.

For those interested in learning more about CST, information can be found here, or local folks can go to the practitioner himself .

I guess I can do without "the pain" on the table sometimes!

Stay the course.

Source: Upledger Clinic; www.upledger.com
Contact: [email protected]