Osteopathy and Children

Many people believe that babies and children are too young and pliable to suffer from any structural stresses and strains, but in reality they do. Birth itself can be a very stressful time for the baby both physically and emotionally. If there are difficulties and complications with the birth this can put immense strain on certain structures within the baby’s body, left untreated these can cause problems in later life.

Many childhood problems may benefit from osteopathic treatment. For example:

• Colic
• Poor sleep patterns.
• General irritable behaviour, difficulty with settling
• Attachment and feeding problems
• Misshapen heads
• Constipation
• Postural problems, such as scoliosis, torticollis (head held twisted)
• Poor co-ordiantion
• Injuries from falls, sport etc.
• Mechanical restrictions associated with asthma.

Very effective and subtle manual techniques have been developed over the years which are particularly suited to the treatment of children and babies. This gentle approach is often referred to as “Cranial Osteopathy” although the techniques are not just limited to the head as the term may imply.