Are you looking for a natural and gentle way to help your baby or child? Osteopaths have a long and established history of helping children with all kinds of problems and conditions. As osteopaths, we treat aspects of these conditions relevant to the practice of osteopathy (e.g. with a focus on the musculoskeletal system). Please feel free to ring us and discuss what’s going on for your baby if you need more information. As for recommendations on who to see, we always suggest booking in with Leyla who has extensive knowledge in this field. Within the clinic, she is our go to specialist for all things baby and beyond!
Is it safe?
We never use force with babies and young children and we never ‘click’ ‘crack’ ‘pop’ or thrust any part of their body or spine.
Treating babies is very different to treating adults – they are obviously smaller and more ‘delicate’ but their nervous system is also still immature. This means that it is very important that they are treated very gently and as safely as possible.
We have treated ‘premmie’ babies and are used to handling distressed and anxious babies – and so we always treat with the utmost care, sensitivity and love.
What will you do?
Your baby’s first appointment will be about 45min long. We’ll take a comprehensive history – both of the problem and the birth. We then examine, looking at your baby’s joints (for example how your baby’s hips, spine and neck move), examine the cranial bones of the skull and look inside baby’s mouth for a tongue tie and for other problems. The treatment will be hands-on and include gentle movement and massage-type techniques.
All of this is done with gentle touch either with baby lying down, seated on a knee or on your lap. If your baby is hungry, treating whilst baby is breast feeding works well.
Treatment and examination are always gentle and keeping baby happy is a priority.
Have you seen this problem before?
Birth strain, specifically on a baby’s head and neck, has potential to compress and irritate the delicate nerves in the upper back and neck. These nerves communicate with the stomach, intestines, skin, muscles and joints. Some of the more common reasons parents bring their children to us are listed below:
- Colic and Reflux
- Feeding and Latch Problems
- Unsettled Babies & Sleep Issues
- Flat Head (Plagiocephaly)
- Torticollis & Neck Problems
- Birth Trauma & Difficult Births
- Asthma & Respiratory Problems
- Constipation or Loose Bowels
To find out a little more, be sure to read this article!