Touch is one of nature's most powerful recipes for growth, contentment, bonding and pleasure, it helps babies breathe well, sleep well, digest optimally, feed successfully, dream peacefully and grow strong with a feeling of love and security. Kitty Haggenbach, What Babies Know.
Cranial Osteopathy is a gentle and effective therapy suitable throughout life, which treats the whole body, not just the head.
All ages benefit, however it is particularly helpful for women during pregnancy and after the birth, for babies as soon as they are born and for children in their early years.
Cranial Osteopathy is a gentle technique applicable to the whole body. Osteopathy is a touch-based therapy, now well known for the treatment of conditions affecting muscles, nerves, bones and ligaments.
We work with the innate internal forces which are always steering us towards health and normal function. Treatment is not painful and is perfectly safe.
Those trained in the art of Cranial Osteopathy can feel the subtle movements between the head bones and the rhythm of the fluid movements within. We are as interested in fluid dynamics and motion as we are with bones.
Particularly appropriate for babies, early osteopathic treatment may help a baby thrive by establishing or optimising early patterns of feeding, breathing and sleeping. Re-aligning the body restores the proper head-neck-trunk relationships and therefore improves internal fluid dynamics or flow.
Feeding involves at least 60 muscles acting on 22 bones in the head alone and is controlled by the nerves (the "cranial nerves" or "head nerves"). Breathing and feeding are primary functions but involve a complex symphony of movements of many muscles and nerves.
Releasing jaw and neck tension with Cranial Osteopathy quickly helped this little one latch and feed and her mum successfully establish exclusive breastfeeding.
Here you see her having a good yawn after treatment!
The muscles, bones and nerves of the head and neck are therefore as important as those of the trunk, spine and limbs.
Birth stresses, strains or pressures can affect the function of these nerves and muscles, so disturbing the relationship of the bones, the "patterning" of muscles acting in groups and the alignment of the body. This in turn may impact on the baby's health and ability to thrive and develop.
Cranial strains can be obvious or subtle, visible or hidden. A trained, experienced touch helps detect and resolve them.
Cranial Osteopathy can help the head "re-shape" as the little one suckles, cries, pouts and yawns. Treatment should begin as soon as possible but can also continue throughout life.
The following pages highlight how cranial osteopathy can help at specific times of life from pre-birth onwards to later years.
Please call Simon directly if you wish to discuss anything personal with him.
All communication and/or subsequent treatment is considered absolutely confidential.
Some conditions that Osteopaths are known to help are not mentioned in this website due to stringent advertising laws. Please feel free to call Simon if you cannot find the information you came to this website seeking.
