Pre and Postnatal Osteopathy
Is Osteopathy effective during pregnancy?
Osteopathy is one of the safest, if not the safest, and the most gentle manual therapy.
Osteopaths are highly trained to deal with pregnancy and the problems related to it.
A pregnancy is a unique experience in the life of a woman who is about to give birth.
One might think that a baby’s life begins as soon as baby leaves the womb. In fact the baby’s life starts from the first day of conception.
In reality the future mum has no idea that she is pregnant for at least 4 to 6 weeks. This is a crucial period because the baby’s spinal column is being made.
During this period the future mum should avoid anything that might risk the life of the baby. For instance, the future mum should not be in contact with any heavy metal. Painting the baby’s room would not be a good idea since paint is mixed with heavy metal. Smoking and drinking will also harm the baby.
This, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much crucial information that a future mum needs to know. That’s why we advise people to be in contact with their Osteopath prior to the pregnancy period.
Vomiting and nausea are other problems during a pregnancy for which it is worth visiting your Osteopath. During a pregnancy you may find that your Osteopath can help you with other pregnancy problems such as back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, reflux and heartburn.
During your pregnancy your osteopath can provide you with information such as pre- natal or post-natal exercises, and inspiration (breathing) techniques which can (should be) used during labor and delivery in order to prepare you for the labor and make sure that the delivery is as smooth and pleasant as possible.
Is osteopathy effective for newborn, babies, infants and children?
Birth is a stressful time for a newborn.
The enormous pressure on the cranium (skull) during the pregnancy and the passage through the birth canal may cause certain deformities because the baby’s skull is entirely made of cartilage tissue which is very soft.
The human skull is made to handle the pressure. However, when the delivery time is too long, it may cause certain deformities such as Plagiocephaly (misshapen head, flat or pointy).
Not only a long delivery but also a short delivery or a caesarian, may cause certain problems.
The baby in the breech position, posterior presentation of the head or the use of instruments such as forceps or suction during the delivery, may cause problems as well.
The first few days after the birth everything may seem normal however soon after parents may notice that their baby is unhappy, irritated, has problems with sleeping, perhaps excessive crying, and or vomiting after every meal. If these signs are evident then the new parents could look to an Osteopath for assistance.
Osteopathy for small children is very gentle, soft and safe, and at the same time complex, because of the fact that babies can not speak and explain why they are feeling unhappy.
Because a baby’s body is so soft and fragile, one should be very careful, avoiding use of any aggressive approach or of any invasive technique such as manipulation.
Osteopaths are highly trained to deal with the babies and children using cranio-sacral techniques which involve a very gentle and soft technique on the whole body in order to help the baby’s body to recover as soon as possible.
The sooner your baby is treated by your Osteopath the faster the results.
The general rule of thumb is to make sure you make an appointment with your osteopath after the birth of your child even though you don’t see any of the things mentioned above. We are trained to detect problems even if they are not visible yet.
Some of the untreated problems from the birth may persist in later stages of the child’s life and present in totally different forms such as: headaches; problems at school such as dyscalculia, dyslexia and dyspraxia; behaviour disorders such as ADHD or ADD; postural problems such as scoliosis or kyphosis; developing diseases such as asthma, dyspnoe or anxiety.
You may recognize these symptoms already in your child but think that it is too late to deal with them. It is never too late to help these children. It may take some time but the effort is worthwhile.