It is a common belief that children and babies do not have structural stresses in their bodies because they are so young and flexible. The reality is unfortunately very different.
Birth is probably one of the most stressful events of a baby’s life. This tiny human has to twist and turn in the birth canal and is subjected to enormous forces as it goes through the bony pelvis.
The baby’s head has the ability to mould and change shape in response to the stresses of a normal labour. These distortions are usually released naturally after the delivery. However, in many cases, the labour may be difficult for both mother and baby. And in some cases, the baby may be unable to fully resolve the effects of birth.
If the strains of the delivery do not resolve, the baby will have to adapt in order to accommodate these stresses as he/she grows. This may cause the baby to be physically uncomfortable or to develop an asymmetry. These unresolved stresses can eventually lead the whole body to grow in a compensative way or create problems such as reflux, colic, difficulties sleeping, digestion issues…
Osteopathic Manual Practitioners use a variety of manipulative procedures and approaches in order to release the different areas of stress and strain, thus allowing the body to express its full health potential. Many of these techniques are very gentle and rarely painful. One approach frequently used when working with babies is known as “Craniosacral Therapy”. Osteopathic Manual Practitioners have extensive training in cranial-sacral therapy and are considered the experts in this field.
Osteopathic Manual Practitioners treat the whole person, not just the area of the body causing symptoms, as the root of the problem often has its origin in another part of the body.
Unresolved birth stresses and how the body compensates for them can be the root of many different problems both in childhood and right into adult life. Manual Osteopathy can help releasing those stresses in order to achieve optimal health.
