Osteopathic treatment of children is safe, gentle, and very effective, with most conditions improving within 2-3 sessions. The methods are very specific with light pressure being applied where necessary to assist the body’s natural ability to release stress and tension. Reactions to treatment can vary most often the child is very relaxed after treatment, some have bursts of energy, others are unsettled but this is temporary and resolves after 24–48 hours.

Osteopathy is fundamentally different from other therapies – it looks for the root of the problem and assists the body to heal itself. Osteopathy enables pain-relief through diagnosis, treatment and advice—without the use of drugs.

// Birth Strains

It is a common belief that from birth, babies have no structural strains or imbalances. The reality is quite the opposite however, birth is possibly the most stressful physical event we ever experience. Babies are subjected to enormous forces as the uterus expels them though the birth canal.

As a baby is twisted and squeezed through its tortuous route out of the pelvis, its head and body are distorted in various ways. The baby’s head is adapted and cleverly designed to absorb the stresses of a normal delivery in a natural way. Moulding of the soft bones, overlapping of the fontonelles, bending or warping of the soft and flexible joints are processes that allow passage through a limiting space without serious damage to baby or mother.

In consequence, babies are born with odd shaped heads. This usually resolves with the intrinsic pressures caused through suckling, crying, and yawning. The unmoulding process is in some cases incomplete. This is most common if the birth process has been affected by some degree of trauma though the application of forceps or a ventouse coup. Equally, various abnormal presentations provide innapropriate forces to the baby’s body; being forced out the wrong way can be highly traumatic.

In these circumstances, the baby is often left with uncomfortable stresses within its head and body. Some babies can cope extremely well with quite severe moulding and compression. For others it is a different story. They can suffer from a wide variety of problems ranging from crying, screaming and irritability, to difficulty feeding, thriving, and developing in a normal way. These problems are caused constant feeling of pressure in the head, and occasionally, compression on the nerves that leave the skull and control bodily functions.

Common Problems Osteopathy Can Help With

// Feeding problems can occur due to mechanical stresses through the head, face, jaw and throat making sucking difficult.

// Colic and wind are often worse in the evening and are accompanied by regurgitation of milk. This may be due to irritation of the nerve to the stomach as it exits the base of the skull causing impaired digestion.

// Sleep problems can be caused by tensions in the bony and membranous casing of the skull; this keeps the baby’s nervous system persistently alert.

// Ear infections can be caused by birth compression around the bones of the ear affecting fluid drainage; this can lead to blockages which can result in infections.

// Headaches can be caused by retained moulding, causing areas of pressure in the skull. This can lead to an increase in headaches at around 7-8 years as the bony joints fully form.

// Asthma can also be helped by cranial treatment by releasing stresses and improving respiratory function that can reduce the frequency and severity of attacks.