Children & Osteopathy...
It is a common belief that children and babies should have no structural stresses or strains in their bodies, because they are ‘so young’. The reality is very different. Birth is one of the most stressful events of our lives.
During birth the baby is subjected to enormous forces, as the uterus pushes to expel the baby against the natural resistance of the birth canal. The baby has to turn and twist as it squeezes through the bony pelvis, on its short but highly stimulating and potentially stressful journey.
The baby’s head has the remarkable ability to absorb these stresses in a normal delivery.
In order to reduce the size of the head, the soft bones overlap, bend and warp as the baby descends. The baby’s chin is normally well tucked down towards its chest to reduce the presenting diameter of the head.
Many babies are born with odd-shaped heads as a result.
In the first few days, the head usually loses the extreme moulded shape, as the baby suckles, cries and yawns. However, this unmoulding process is sometimes incomplete, especially if the birth has been difficult. As a result, the baby may have to live with some very uncomfortable stresses within its head and body.
Osteopaths use the gentle and non-invasive techniques of cranial osteopathy to assess any structural changes caused by the moulding process, restore structural balance and harmony to the skull, and relieve any associated symptoms.
