Osteopathy for Babies and Children

„An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure“  stated Benjamin Franklin 300 years ago. Prevention has become more and more widespread in our world, especially when talking about babies and children. In this sense, osteopathic care has gained importance. Not only adults, but children and babies can all benefit from osteopathic care.

Babies

Today, babies are being checked all over the world at childbirth and shortly after, in order to counteract any kind of dysfunction and to create the best soil for healthy development.

The first traumatism that we all undergo is childbirth. According to a study, 85% of all infants regardless of the type of birth, had some degree of abnormality in the bones of their skull. This abnormality does not mean pathology, however in the long run may it may have an effect on overall health.

When working with children, we use gentle osteopathic techniques, such as gentle soft tissue massage and joint articulation in order to increase the blood flow and stimulate the nerve supply to all tissues of the body. Cranial osteopathic techniques, which are also gentle, safe and non-manipulative can be very beneficial as well when working with young children and babies.

Some conditions that can be treated by an osteopath when working with babies are digestive issues such as reflux or trapped wind, crying and irritability, inability to relax (ex. light sleeper) or feeding difficulties.

Children

Some children experience a rapid growth spurt and have pain around their joints. Osteopathic care can be helpful in reducing the pain by using gentle stretching and massage techniques and giving advice concerning physical activity.

Children who are active in sports and have sports injuries can also benefit from osteopathic treatment. One of the main principles of osteopathy is that the structure and the function of the body are intricately related. If some kind of structural or postural imbalance develops, it could adversely affect the body´s function. For example following an ankle injury, a child may start to compensate in some way for pain in the ankle. This may lead to pain or discomfrot elsewhere in the body (knee, hip, back, neck,  or shoulder). When a child comes for treatment, the whole body and overall posture is checked, not only the site of the injury.