Cranial
Osteopathy
What is it?
Cranial Osteopathy is a very gentle non-invasive technique where the skull is gently assessed, for any restricted movements, which may have occurred during birth. It is a popular belief that babies do not have any structural restrictions throughout their bodies, due to the fact they are so new, but during the delivery the baby's head comes under an enormous amount of compression. Moulding of the head occurs to allow the skull bones to overlap one another, to successfully travel through the birth canal. However if there are unequal pressures applied to the skull, during any part of this journey, this can leave the head looking an odd shape. After delivery, the head gradually unmoulds over the next few days, however, this unmoulding process may be left incomplete, especially if the birth has been difficult i.e. a long labour, c-section, fast labour, ventouse or forceps used.
Who can benefit?
This style of treatment is suitable for all ages, but is particularly good for babies (even new borns) and children. Some parents perceived the following changes in their children's behaviour: reduced colicky crying, improved sleep, less unsettled irritable behaviour and increased quiet happy spells.
Women during their pregnancy can also greatly benefit from this gentle treatment by maintaining good spinal and pelvic movement, to reduce aches and pains that can often accompany pregnancy.
Patients have perceived that conditions such as back pain, muscle spasms, joint pain and digestive problems have been helped by osteopathic treatment.
