What Is It?
Vector Point Cranial Therapy is one of the primary cranial
adjusting methods that Dr. Gordon uses during her treatments. This
therapy is low force and non-invasive. Developed by David Denton, DC,
Vector Point Cranial Therapy operates on the premise that most of the
subluxations in the body are secondary to a primary subluxation. Once
the primary subluxation is corrected, any secondary subluxation will
correct on its own. Primary subluxations are located in either the
cranium or pelvis. All other subluxations are compensatory and may be
located throughout the spine or the jaw. The cranium and pelvis
subluxate due to something called dural tension.
The
dura is a fibrous sheet that covers the brain and spinal cord. Its
attachments begin inside the skull and then work their way down the
spinal canal, finally anchoring at the lowest bone in the spine, the
sacrum. It has many purposes, one of which is to allow for the free
flowing of cerebral spinal fluid. This process, called the Cranial
Sacral Respiratory Mechanism, is maintained in part by the subtle
movements of the cranial bones.
When the cranial bones are subluxated, dural tension is created. When
dural tension is created, the uppermost neck vertebrae and the jaw
joints react. When the uppermost vertebrae react, the rest of the body,
including soft tissues like organs, adapt. So you can now see that from
one subluxation, an entire pattern of compensation and adaptation takes
place within the body.
How Is Vector Point Cranial Therapy Applied?
By applying sustained gentle pressure to the cranium on specific
points we are able to gradually move the cranial bones back into their
original position. Because this process also removes dural tension, the
net effect is not only the correction of the cranial bones themselves,
but also the correction of all other secondary distortions of the
spine. Usually three or four points must be contacted simultaneously in
order to properly reposition the cranial bones. Having the patient
breath deeply while flexing their feet enhances the procedure. Movement
of the feet and toes upward while inhaling slightly stretches the dura,
while moving the feet and toes downward while exhaling relaxes the dura.
Patients welcome Vector Point Cranial Therapy as a substitute for more
traditional forms of spinal adjustments, which generally require high
levels of force. They are also pleasantly surprised that such a subtle
technique can have so profound an effect. When the mechanisms of spinal
distortions are understood, it soon becomes clear that the success of
Vector Point Cranial Therapy lies in both the precision of the
treatment itself and in the skill of the doctor performing the
treatment.