Osteopathy for Children
Do babies and children need osteopathic treatment?
Young children, especially babies, are often thought of as too young to have built up tension, stresses and injuries in their bodies, but that is simply not the case.
The journey of being born is a traumatic one that we all go through and is a hugely stressful experience. A baby’s route through the birth canal is a tortuous one, with enormous contractile pressure throughout. However, a baby’s head is beautifully designed to allow for the many bones of the skull to move and overlap in order to reduce the overall diameter, enabling the baby to be safely delivered. Sometimes this results in extreme moulding (odd shape) of the baby’s head that is normally resolved within the first days of life in the world as the baby suckles, cries and yawns. Unfortunately this is not always completely the case, resulting in unresolved tensions and pains throughout the musculoskeletal system (framework of the body), and subsequently irritation of nerves supplying different parts of the body e.g. the digestive system and the nervous system itself.
What do paediatric osteopaths treat?
The most commonly seen reasons for babies to be brought for osteopathic treatment are: • Infantile colic • Generally unsettled / fretful behaviour • Constant crying • Reflux / regurgitation • Plagiocephally (misshapen head) • Babies that favour one side of their bodies e.g. their head movement • Sleep difficulties • Constipation • Feeding problems • Post partum check up
Osteopathy for children can help the majority of these conditions as they are often as a result of the compressive trauma from the birth process.
What about treatment after babyhood?
Older children too may benefit from osteopathic assessment and treatment. Common reasons may include: • Glue ear • Musculoskeletal effects of asthma • Poor concentration levels • Sinusitis • ‘Growing pains’ and injuries
Is it safe?
Osteopathy for children is very gentle, safe and non-invasive. Often other techniques will be incorporated into the treatment plan – such as Cranial Osteopathy – to provide an integrated approach. Osteopathy aims to support your baby or child’s body and encourage it into a position from which the body is able to help restore itself to health.
How many treatments will my child need?
Babies and children’s bodies are very dynamic and usually respond quickly to treatment with an average number of treatments being approximately 3-6 depending on the problem.
How soon should we seek treatment for our child?
It is certainly recommended that ideally all babies are checked after birth as a matter of course, and certainly before the age of five to deal with retained stress and strains, maximising their optimum health for the future.
To find an osteopath in your area, who specialises in treating babies and children, please follow the link below:
Osteopathy for Children
Written by Zena Hewett, Registered Osteopath. To contact Zena, please click here
Young children, especially babies, are often thought of as too young to have built up tension, stresses and injuries in their bodies, but that is simply not the case.
The journey of being born is a traumatic one that we all go through and is a hugely stressful experience. A baby’s route through the birth canal is a tortuous one, with enormous contractile pressure throughout. However, a baby’s head is beautifully designed to allow for the many bones of the skull to move and overlap in order to reduce the overall diameter, enabling the baby to be safely delivered. Sometimes this results in extreme moulding (odd shape) of the baby’s head that is normally resolved within the first days of life in the world as the baby suckles, cries and yawns. Unfortunately this is not always completely the case, resulting in unresolved tensions and pains throughout the musculoskeletal system (framework of the body), and subsequently irritation of nerves supplying different parts of the body e.g. the digestive system and the nervous system itself.
What do paediatric osteopaths treat?
The most commonly seen reasons for babies to be brought for osteopathic treatment are: • Infantile colic • Generally unsettled / fretful behaviour • Constant crying • Reflux / regurgitation • Plagiocephally (misshapen head) • Babies that favour one side of their bodies e.g. their head movement • Sleep difficulties • Constipation • Feeding problems • Post partum check up
Osteopathy for children can help the majority of these conditions as they are often as a result of the compressive trauma from the birth process.
What about treatment after babyhood?
Older children too may benefit from osteopathic assessment and treatment. Common reasons may include: • Glue ear • Musculoskeletal effects of asthma • Poor concentration levels • Sinusitis • ‘Growing pains’ and injuries
Is it safe?
Osteopathy for children is very gentle, safe and non-invasive. Often other techniques will be incorporated into the treatment plan – such as Cranial Osteopathy – to provide an integrated approach. Osteopathy aims to support your baby or child’s body and encourage it into a position from which the body is able to help restore itself to health.
How many treatments will my child need?
Babies and children’s bodies are very dynamic and usually respond quickly to treatment with an average number of treatments being approximately 3-6 depending on the problem.
How soon should we seek treatment for our child?
It is certainly recommended that ideally all babies are checked after birth as a matter of course, and certainly before the age of five to deal with retained stress and strains, maximising their optimum health for the future.
To find an osteopath in your area, who specialises in treating babies and children, please follow the link below:
Osteopathy for Children
Written by Zena Hewett, Registered Osteopath. To contact Zena, please click here
