Your questions, answered by Dr. Brant Larsen.
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Below are the questions I hear most often from patients considering cranial adjusting. This page will grow over time as new questions come up.
Does cranial adjusting hurt?
It depends on the technique and the person. Some contacts are very light; CFR is a faster technique and can definitely be felt. I explain what I’m doing before I do it, and I pay attention to how you respond throughout.
How do you know where to adjust?
I use a combination of history, physical examination and muscle testing. I’ll test a muscle, apply a contact to a specific cranial area, and test again — a change in that response helps guide where I focus.
Why do you use muscle testing?
It gives me another way to assess how the body responds when I contact different areas of the cranium. I treat it as one piece of information among several, not a stand-alone diagnostic proof.
Is CFR the only technique you use?
No. CFR is the flagship technique in my approach, but I also use Afferentology and percussion-hammer technique, depending on what my examination finds.
Do you adjust everyone the same way?
No. My examination determines the approach for each person — I don’t use the same protocol on every patient.
Will cranial adjusting treat my condition?
I don’t make that promise. My approach is to evaluate the person, address restrictions I find in the cranial system, and see how they respond — I don’t treat conditions, I treat people who have conditions.
Why don’t more doctors do this?
Cranial adjusting is a specialized area that isn’t part of most standard healthcare training, and the research base is smaller than for many conventional interventions. That doesn’t make it unimportant — it means fewer practitioners have chosen to specialize in it.
Is cranial adjusting a substitute for medical care?
No. It isn’t a substitute for appropriate medical evaluation, especially for serious, urgent or potentially serious conditions. I refer out when that’s appropriate.
Have another question?
Learn more about cranial adjusting or Dr. Larsen’s approach, or visit DrLarsen.com to get in touch.