Osteopathy For Babies And Children
From Newborn, Toddlers to Adolescents
A visit for your baby to our Osteopaths in St Kilda West can help to give your little one the best start to their future development.
Infant And Baby Osteopaths
Pregnancy and birth are natural, albeit physically demanding, experiences for women and their babies. The stresses and forces on an infant’s body in-utero and during birth can result in strains of their soft and immature musculoskeletal system. These forces depend on the position of the baby during pregnancy, how they present during labour and what, if any, interventions might have been required e.g. caesarian section, forceps. The resulting strains may contribute to problems experienced with your baby’s sleeping, eating, movement and development.
Some things that might indicate an Osteopathic treatment could benefit your little one:
- Irritability and difficulty sleeping
- Excessive crying, restlessness, inability to settle
- Feeding difficulties in latching or suckling Colic, reflux or digestive problems
- Asymmetry in head shape (plagiocephaly)
- Musculoskeletal and postural imbalances
- Movement difficulties transitioning to rolling, crawling, walking etc.
- Favouring one side in rolling or turning head
- A dislike for car rides and the car seat
At Middle Park Osteopathic clinic we have professionals who have a passion and wealth of knowledge for treating babies and children. Our approach to baby osteopathy is hands-on, and we work in conjunction with management in mainstream medicine.
Due to the dynamic and sensitive nature of an infant’s body we usually see them respond quite rapidly to treatment, meaning minimal sessions are required to see results.
Osteopathy For Children And Toddlers
Injuries aren’t just for adults – muscle and joint strains and sprains can happen to children of any age: as a result of poor posture in an unsupportive car seat, a rolled ankle playing chase, or a collision on the football field. These are all things to watch out for; as children learn new skills they push their bodies to the limit. It is important that these stresses and strains are not having an ongoing effect on their musculoskeletal growth and development. This is where our Osteopaths specifically trained in infant and neonatal care can help.
Osteopathy For Adolescents
Puberty is a stage of great change – rapid growth and hormones lead to a dramatic change in the musculoskeletal system over a short period. With the growing influence of technology in our children’s lives we are seeing a rise in poor posture and related tension in the body, it is important with their ability to study, focus and develop that these habits are corrected and the tight areas that exacerbate the poor posture cycle are removed and managed.
- Scoliosis. S or C-shaped spine in children
- Headaches in toddlers or, more commonly, adolescents
- Sports injuries
- Muscle sprains/tears
- Back pain associated with carrying heavy school bags
- Neck pain associated with study and use of computers
- Playground injuries or injuries from falls or contact sports
- Injuries from intense or repetitive training (rowing, tennis, gymnastics, netball, swimming)
If you are looking for a baby osteopath in Melbourne, contact us today 03 9908 2844.