Cranial osteopathy is a subspecialty of osteopathic manipulative medicine performed by a physician.
This subspecialty deals with subtle motions of the body through the cranial sacral mechanism. It is a gentle and powerful system, part of osteopathic medicine, that uses the patient's own inherent forces to overcome membranous, articular, ligamentous strains in the body. It is a diagnostic and treatment method for soft tissue injuries and especially cranial and sacral structures. It is a cyclic expansion and contraction of the membranous tissues of the body that occur 8 to 14 times per minute. It is distinct from other known pulses of the body, i.e., the heart and respiratory.