Osteopathy for babies and children | Soothing and relieving childhood ailments in a natural way
This manual therapy is suitable for all members of the family, whatever their age. For babies, osteopathy is a way of dealing with birth trauma. For children, it supports their development and helps them grow up peacefully.
Osteopathic treatment for babies: when and why?
When can an infant be seen?
It is possible to consult an osteopath from the first few months after birth. This session is a post-natal check-up. This is because childbirth is an ordeal for the newborn and can sometimes be traumatic. This is particularly the case when instruments (forceps) are used.
Before the first 6 months of life, osteopathy sessions for babies are mainly preventive. The practitioner will use gentle methods on your little one. However, certain conditions may require cranial manipulation techniques, subject to medical advice.
After the baby is 6 months old, there are no contraindications. It is recommended that you consult an osteopath as soon as your baby takes its first steps, to check the alignment of its body structure and the position of its pelvis.
Reasons for consulting a paediatric osteopath: relieving your baby's pain
Osteopathy can be used to treat a number of ailments in the little ones.
Colic or gastro-oesophageal reflux: babies’ digestive systems are often undeveloped in the first three months of life. This manifests itself in long crying spells that leave young parents at a loss when faced with their child’s pain. An osteopath will relieve the baby using gentle, targeted manipulations. They can also give advice on how to prevent colic (baby’s position, anti-colic bottles, massage, etc.) to improve the baby’s first moments of life.
Plagiocephaly or flat head syndrome: the head is deformed due to a preferential position, often caused by a torticollis (linked to birth) or over-toned neck and head muscles. The osteopath manipulates the pelvis and back muscles to restore full mobility.
Sucking problems, where the baby has difficulty sucking with a bottle or breastfeeding, are linked to a lack of mobility in the mouth. An osteopath can help relieve tension in the mouth.
Chronic ear infections manifest themselves as discharges that cause pain for the baby. The osteopath will try to identify the causes (reflux, obstruction of the Eustachian tube following a cold, etc.). Then, using manipulations on the cranial and ENT spheres, the osteopath will drain the areas concerned in order to relieve the baby’s suffering. These sessions have a curative and preventive role in the onset of new symptoms.
Sleep problems: the newborn will have difficulty falling asleep and will not sleep through the night, etc. These symptoms may be linked to intestinal pain, ENT problems or teething problems, which the osteopath can relieve using appropriate manipulations.
Osteopathic treatment for children: when and why?
Osteopathy helps to support the child’s development. During the course of their growth, they encounter numerous events such as falls, ENT infections, orthodontic problems, etc.
The body stores all these traumas in its memory, which can progressively lead to pain.
It is advisable to consult an osteopath with your child on average once a year as a preventive measure. Children tend not to identify their suffering clearly or express what they are feeling.
The main problems encountered by your child that an osteopath can alleviate:
- ENT problems (chronic ear infections, allergic bronchitis, chronic sinusitis);
- sleep disorders (waking up at night, bedwetting, difficulty falling asleep);
- digestive problems (stomach aches, reflux, constipation);
- urinary problems (repeated infections);
- Eye problems (strabismus);
- vertebral disorders (scoliosis, back pain);
- psychological problems (stress, difficulty concentrating, mood swings).
Please do not hesitate to contact a member of the URGENT-OSTEO team to explain your child’s situation in detail.