Monthly Archives: June 2014

Most people think that because babies are so young, they shouldnʼt have any tension in their body. In reality, birth is one of the most traumatic experience of our life and can leave various degrees of strains.

During the birth process, the bones of the babyʼs skull have to overlap to go through the birth canal. They will usually unfold during the few days after birth by crying, feeding and yawning. But if this process is incomplete, residual tension within the babyʼs skull will create a variety of symptoms.
One of the main reasons why this might happen is if the birth was difficult.

A prolonged labour, often leading to a vacuum (suction) and/or forceps delivery will intensify the pressure on the babyʼs head. So will induction as the contractions are much stronger than natural ones.
On the other hand, a fast labour or C-section will both come in as a shock for the baby and often leave him unsettled.
And if the foetal position is not right, the area of the skull pushing against the uterus will not be the one physiologically designed to take the most pressure.

The remaining tensions left can manifest as:

• flat head
• torticollis
• difficulty sleeping
• trouble feeding
• regurgitation
• painful wind
• constipation
• excessive crying, irritable baby
• difficulty teething

Thankfully it is never too early to treat and cranial osteopathy is increasingly becoming the treatment of choice by many parents.

In children, the effects of retained strains from the birth or acquired strains (due to falls for example) might lead to:

• recurrent ear infections
• recurrent chest infections
• asthma
• behavior problems
• poor concentration
• learning difficulties
• restlessness
• depleted immune system
• growing pains
• poor balance
• fatigue

Although a treatment will be most efficient before five years of age, it is never too late to treat either!

While structural osteopathy uses a variety of techniques to relieve muscle tension and mobilize restricted joints, cranial osteopathy is particularly gentle and is used with children, sensitive patients and for certain complaints.

It works with the involuntary mechanism, which is a subtle rhythmical motion initiated in the head and sacrum, and present in all tissues of the body. As for the mechanics of the spine, this movement is affected by all the strains we have accumulated throughout our lives. Probably even more so as stress, emotional stress and illnesses for example will have an even greater effect on it.
To assess the vitality of this movement and release any tension, the osteopath will use a highly developed sense of touch. The pressure is so gentle – it is probably no greater than the weight of a 10 cent coin – it can be used on everybody, from the newborn to the elderly.

What can cranial osteopathy help with?

• stress
• headaches
• migraines
• dizziness
• vertigo
• low energy levels
• sleep problems
• sinusitis
• asthma
• chest infections
• ear infections
• indigestion
• constipation
• irritable bowel syndrome
• teeth grinding
• jaw pain
• menstrual discomfort, period pain and irregularity
• pregnancy related complaints
• post miscarriage and in some instance to help carry a pregnancy through
• babies and birth related problems
• dentistry

Osteopathy is a safe and effective therapy that aims to return the body to its optimal state
of health. To do so, the osteopath uses a wide variety of techniques to tailor each
treatment to each patient.

The onset of pain rarely relates to one isolated injury, it is often an accumulation of strains
over the course of many years that leads to “the final straw”. As a matter of fact we all
suffer a certain amount of trauma during our lives, whether it being sports injuries, car
accidents, falls, illnesses or emotional stress. The body is very good at adapting so it will
find various mechanisms to keep going… until it cannot cope any more. And that is when
pain starts. The trigger can be something as small and innocent as bending down to
unload the dishwasher, but it is enough to throw the body over the edge.
There usually are warning signs though and getting a treatment at this stage will prevent
the occurrence of an acute episode. These warning signs could manifest as twinges,
tension or a “tired” feeling in your back for example.
In order to relieve the pain, the osteopath will have to work on old strains as well as
releasing tensions related to the trigger episode.

Because of the wide range of techniques used, an osteopath can treat people of any age
and help with a variety of problems such as:

• back pain
• neck pain
• foot, ankle, knee or hip pain
• hand, wrist, elbow or shoulder pain
• headaches
• indigestion
• sprains
• sciatica
• tennis elbow
• osteoarthritis
• recovery after hip and knee replacement
• menstrual discomfort
• irritable bowel syndrome
• pregnancy related complaints
• dentistr
• babies and children