Today’s guest post is by Classical Osteopath Sara Pukal, M.OMSc., from Sara’s Manual Therapy in the Scarborough Bluffs area. 
Are you familiar with the rhyme: “your head-bone is connected to your butt-bone”? As funny as this may sound, it’s completely true! Your head is connected to your butt-bone in two distinctive ways: physically and through the nervous system.
Your sacrum and coccyx is located at the very bottom of the spine, and with the help of the rest of the pelvis, it supports all of the structures above and below it. It consists of many major muscles that assist in standing upright, bending forwards, and many other forms of movement that occur in daily life! Poor functional movement through this area, can be caused by a restriction in the pelvic floor muscles, or altered mechanics from an accident or fall. During pregnancy and labor the pelvic floor and abdomen go through changes that require the body to alter it’s normal weight-bearing mechanics in order to make room and support the fetus. Changes through the body often compromises posture with increased tension rippling up the spine into the cranium (skull), affecting alignment of the body, functional movement and overall health.
The sacrum and cranium are also connected via the parasympathetic nervous system – also known as the Rest and Digest System. This part of our nervous system kicks in when it’s time to eat, relax, and sleep. Any tension through the muscles of the upper back, into the cervicals (neck) and into the cranium (skull) will in turn affect the lines of tension into the jaw and along the temporal and frontal lines of your forehead. Tension or restriction in the head (including the jaw) can be caused by many factors including poor alignment from poor postural habits, an accident (such as a fall or collision), or birth which may result in altered mechanics of the pelvis, the spinal column and up into the cranium (skull). This can lead to structural misalignment which affects the nervous system, pain perception, functional movement and overall health of the body.
Every part of your body is connected and works together using bony and muscular connections and the nervous system. In order to address any pain and misalignments you may be feeling in your body, the manual therapy of Osteopathy assesses and treats the body based on anatomy and physiology. This means the mechanics and functional movements of the body are assessed, and treated. Your Manual Osteopath will work from the top of the head, to the bottom of the feet (not always in that order), and everything in between to improve overall function and mechanical alignment in the body. Treatment is beneficial prepartum to help prepare you for birth, and postpartum for postural pain, breastfeeding difficulties, healing from c-sections, and overall health and recovery!
Sara Pukal, M.OMSc., is a practicing Classical Osteopath in the Scarborough Bluffs and is available by appointment for assessment and treatment, www.sarasmanualtherapy.com .
