Osteopathy for Children

Osteopathy for Teenagers

The transition from childhood into adolescence is typically accompanied by growth spurts, a drastic shift in hormonal levels and significant musculoskeletal changes.

We help ease this transition by providing a wide range of osteopathic treatments for teenagers.

Typical adolescent conditions we screen and manage include scoliosis, and treat poor posture from studying and excessive screen use.

We can diagnose conditions such as Sever’s disease, which is a pain located in the back of the heel bone where the growth plate is. We can address muscle and joint restriction which may be contributing to the condition. We also recognise Osgood-Schlatter Disease (Knee Pain). We may be able to use gentle joint mobilisation and muscle tension release to help reduce the effects of extra strain put through the knee and hip joints.

We also recognise that a teenager’s years are typically spent pushing the limits of physicality, especially in the realm of sports. Therefore, a significant portion of our treatments for adolescents tends to focus on the importance of postural strength and how to build and maintain it, plus relieving muscular tension and joint/ligament sprains from sporting injuries to bring about better body balance.

Osteopathy for Babies and Kids

As a parent, there is nothing more important than the health and wellbeing of your family. If you have a newborn or young child that’s restless, uncomfortable or feeling pain, it’s understandable that you want it addressed quickly and as safely as possible. 

Many doctors will recommend their young patients to see an Osteopath for a variety of musculoskeletal and nervous system concerns as the techniques used are gentle, effective and non-invasive. 

Why take my baby to see an Osteopath?

The challenges of pregnancy and birth can result in different stresses and strains on babies and new mothers alike.  The space for growth in the uterus, as well as the process of delivery, can exert forces on the babies’ bodies that may impact their overall comfort, feeding, digestion, breathing and growth. 

You may see signs of this in their first few weeks, or later on as they grow and develop. All mothers remember how the contractions felt, but remember babies were in the middle of all that pressure!

Babies’ heads are cleverly designed so that the individual bones of the skull can overlap to allow them through the birth canal.  Naturally as the newborn cries and feeds this helps relieve this pressure and facilitates the skull bones settling into a normal position.  However, sometimes unusually long or short labours and the use of forceps or suction can slow down the baby’s recovery time.

What things should parents look out for?

Parents may find that their baby has difficultly with their neck movement, which can result in the baby preferring to lay facing in one direction, preferring to feed facing one way, or a flattening of their head-shape in one spot.

The moulding of a baby’s head shape can also affect the way in which their eyes, nose, ears and mouth function. You may find that your newborn has blocked tear ducts, eye or ear infections, snores or has a snotty nose.

Tension in their neck, mouth, or a tongue tie may lead to difficulty latching properly which can cause pain or mastitis for Mum. Breastfeeding is a new skill for you both to learn but any discomfort should be only experienced in the first few days. A baby that finds it hard to latch or swallows too much air when feeding will often struggle with trapped wind or spit up a lot.

Similarly, the twists and turns of birth can affect their joints and muscles resulting in an unsettled baby that cannot seem to get comfortable, arches their back or screams when you put them in the car seat, or maybe prefers to be held to fall asleep.

Several conditions babies experience:

Flat head syndrome

Cranial osteopathy for children and babies involves subtly cradling and lightly massaging your child’s head, spine and body to feel for and release imbalances. Our aim is to foster healthy realignment, improve fluid dynamics and alleviate any muscular tension and stress resulting from environmental traumas.

Anxiety and general unsettling 

Although your baby could be feeling unsettled for a variety of reasons, it can have something to do with your bub’s fight or flight response. 

We try to alleviate this by working on their nervous system. We’ve found this to be a very effective method of treatment with the patient (baby) being a lot calmer and more settled.