Babies and Paediatric Osteopathy
You would think that babies and children would have no structural stresses or strains in their bodies because they are so young. However, birth is one of the most stressful events in our lives. The baby is subject to enormous forces as he/she is pushed down the birth canal and squeezes through the bony pelvis to be born.
The bones of the head are designed to overlap to reduce the size of the head as it descends down the birth canal and the soft bones will “give” in order to absorb the stresses of a normal delivery. If the labour is interrupted, prolonged, or requires intervention such as suction or forceps, the baby’s ability to absorb these stresses may be overwhelmed, and it may be left with strains, compressions or torsions though its head or body.
Some strains may be present before birth if the baby’s head has been engaged in the pelvis for a long time before delivery, or if he/she has been lying in an awkward position.
When osteopaths examine babies areas of tension are often found in the spine or head, which are indications that the baby is uncomfortable. A baby cannot complain of backache or headache, and will typically express this by crying and being unsettled or irritable.
In a research study conducted by Clive Hayden into the effects of cranial osteopathic treatment on babies, some parents perceived the following changes in their children’s behaviour: reduced colicky crying, improved sleep, less unsettled, irritable behaviour and increased quiet happy spells.
As well as the strains arising through the birth process, cranial treatment can also help to treat children following falls, accidents, operations, dental work and daily postural stresses and strains.
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