01/17/2026
* This is a long read but worth the read *
The Dura Mater: The Hidden Link Between the Spine and Nervous System Regulation
The dura mater is the tough, protective outer membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. What makes it clinically important is not only that it protects the central nervous system, but that it forms a continuous connection from the inside of the skull, through the foramen magnum, and down the spinal canal toward the sacrum.
This continuity matters because the dura is not an isolated “covering.” It is a tension-bearing structure that can transmit mechanical strain along the length of the spine. When stress accumulates through posture, injury, repetitive loading, or long-term protective patterns, the nervous system may begin receiving distorted sensory input. Over time, this can contribute to ongoing guarding, altered movement strategies, and difficulty shifting out of protective tone.
The meninges are arranged in layers: the dura mater on the outside, the arachnoid mater beneath it (associated with cerebrospinal fluid dynamics), and the pia mater directly contacting neural tissue. Together, these layers create a protective interface between structure and nervous system function. When tension patterns persist, regulation can become harder not because the body is “broken,” but because the system is operating from defence rather than safety.
Spinal Flow works by using precise, gentle contact at specific access points to provide low-threat sensory input to the nervous system. This is not force-based work and does not rely on mechanical correction. The goal is to support regulation, so the body can reorganise tension patterns through its own neurological control rather than through external pressure.
When regulation improves, posture, motion, breathing patterns, and overall ease can begin to change, not by forcing the body into alignment, but by reducing the need for protection.
Principle:
The nervous system leads; tissue responses follow.
References
Standring, S. (Ed.). Gray’s Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice (42nd ed.). Elsevier.
Bogduk, N. Clinical Anatomy of the Lumbar Spine and Sacrum (5th ed.). Elsevier.
