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Osteopathy for Children
Babies
Not all babies cope well with the powerful processes of birth as they
pass down the birth canal. For example mechanical stresses affecting
nerve supply from the neck and head can affect the tongue causing
feeding problems, or to the gastric nerves causing colic. Tension in the
skull can keep the baby in an alert state so the baby has difficulty
sleeping.
Very gentle sometimes called Cranial Osteopathy, techniques is are a
safe and effective form of osteopathy, and offered to babies to help
them overcome these difficulties.
Often the baby is relaxed after the treatment and sleeps well. Others
become more energetic for a while but sleep well that night, whilst
others may take a few days to settle after a treatment.
A baby is never too young to be treated and osteopathy is also effective
when dealing with toddlers who may have ear infections, sinus and dental
problems, asthma and headaches. Often the best results are achieved
before the age of five.
Children and Teenagers
Toddlers become children and children become teenagers - and for all of
them, their bodies undergo considerable and often rapid change.
A younger child may be susceptible to ear, chest and sinus infections,
whilst an older child may have asthma, and the young footballer may be
diagnosed with Osgood-Schlatters disease. For the teenager the school
bags become heavier whilst their posture develops the ‘slouch’ -
especially with the increasing use of laptops.
During these years, many young people take part in a high level of
various sports and recreational activities frequently resulting in
injuries which if not treated when young can become a problem later in
life.
Many older teenagers also start to take on
part-time work which introduces them to yet more physical demands on
their still growing and changing bodies.
These difficult and increasing demands carry the risk of injury and
structural stress that if not treated now can lead to more chronic
conditions in adulthood.
What can an Osteopath do?
Osteopaths are trained professionals skilled in being able to examine,
assess, diagnose and treat those injuries and conditions.
The osteopath will help the body to adapt to the growth changes and to
accommodate the effects of hormones, including their effects on the
circulation and metabolism as well as on the musculo-skeletal system.
The osteopath will also be able to offer advice on posture and exercise
so that the postural stress has less chance of becoming a postural
habit.
Some osteopaths may recommend annual check-ups for your child to prevent
these injuries/stresses developing or becoming a problem in later life
Speak to your osteopath about “spinal assessments”. Osteopaths can make
a full spinal assessment of your child to ensure that any spinal
curvatures are detected early on in development. This will aid in
monitoring changes and help with any future treatment programme. Advice
or referral if necessary can be arranged.
So called growing pains are frequently no more than this. However, all
teenagers complaining of back pain should be examined and assessed in
order to be clear of the underlying cause.
Should you have any further questions, please feel free to call us or
email info@osteopathics.co.uk
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