Children and Osteopathy

Children & Osteopathy

Most people are aware of how osteopathy can benefit adults. Osteopathy can help with a variety of aches and pains we experience in everyday living. However, it is less known that osteopathy can also benefit babies and children. This article aims to explain why your child might benefit from seeing an osteopathic manual practitioner.

Why would a baby need treatment?

The birth of a baby is by no means easy. They exit the birth canal with great force, which can be problematic. To make this process slightly easier, a baby is able to compress their head during labor by overlapping the bones in the skull. This happens through the flexibility of fontanels, which you might recognize as slight ridges on your baby’s head. The bones expand again afterwards, which is aided through crying and suckling. In a healthy birth this process happens through the bodies own self-healing mechanism. However, when a more traumatic birth occurs, i.e. assisted delivery (forceps, ventouse or caesarian) or very fast or long labor, this process can be impeded and your baby might show signs of discomfort.

Can you recognize whether your baby needs treatment?

Babies are meant to cry, but excessive crying can be a sign your baby might need treatment. It can often be associated with digestive problems and difficulties latching. Another possibility is a visible asymmetry in your baby’s head. This usually occurs after a strenuous birth where the baby has been in a certain position for a long time. It can however also occur posturally when your baby prefers lying on one side more so than the other. All of these problems can be eased using osteopathic treatment.

Why would a child need treatment?

Whilst your child is growing there are also a number of problems they might face that osteopathy can assist with. These problems may arise from excessive computer use, hunching over their laptops or carrying heavy backpacks to school. Some children might also suffer with sports injuries. In all these cases the osteopathic manual practitioner can help reduce the issue at hand and aim to find a strategy to prevent further injury.

How can osteopathy help?

The osteopathic manual practitioner uses their detailed knowledge of anatomy and physiology in order to assess any patterns or strains that may be present. They then use a gentle hands-on approach to restore optimum function to the structures found strained. Osteopathy does not treat the condition itself, however it improves the function of the body as a whole, so the body can resolve the problem on its own. The treatment should not be painful in any way, and is done in the gentlest way possible.