Children are not small adults, their treatment carries a greater responsability; they have specific needs and conditions that require many years of experience and training to be able to treat adquately.
We can easily forget that birth is a miracle in itself and take for granted that babies should be perfectly fine after, and mums should recover from it in a few weeks. As osteopaths, we do believe the body has an innate ability to heal itself given the right circumstances.
A check up with your paediatric osteopath following birth can help pin-point potential problems and help ease the stressful transition from life in a liquid medium to the outside atmospheric pressure. This initial adaptation can involve many bodily systems including breathing and digestion.
The pressures of life inside the womb and from the contractions of labour can lead to unsettled behaviour and difficulties with feeding, winding, sleeping. Osteopathic treatment can be very helpful in relieving any physical strains and helping the baby relax.
Later on when your child is learning to crawl, walk, run and talk, it is a good idea to monitor the progress of these crucial developmental milestones and address the effects of any physical mishaps or developmental lag to prevent problems developing later. There may be a physical reason that your child cannot make a breakthrough into the next stage which can be addressed by a trained paediatric osteopath.
School can be a time of stress and change. It can be made worse if your child have problems concentrating, coping with learning and writing. They are repeatedly exposed to infections and can be under the weather for long periods, affecting their performance. Osteopathic treatment may be able to help reduce the effect of stress on the immune system and help them carry on with their studies.
Check this video (in 4 parts) about osteopathy for children from the OCC where I teach.