Cathy Clark Osteopathy. B. AppSci, M. Ost, DPO, PYT

Why bring your baby or child for osteopathy?

Paediatric osteopathy is a safe, effective and gentle treatment for your child.

Often, healthcare can be directed to whether your child has a medical concern, however it can miss out on the functional side of health. For instance, the range of normal bowel movements for a breastfed baby can be 10 times a day, or up to every 10 days. While that may not be concerning if your child is in that range, what does it say about their digestion if they pass a bowel movement every 10 days with a lot of discomfort? And, will your child then have issues with faecal retention as an older child? And how will that effect them as an adult? This is just one example of how different healthcare providers will assess your child.

Paediatric osteopathy takes into account all systems of the body – the digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological as well as the musculoskeletal systems. With general assessment, observation and finely attuned touch we can assess whether there are any concerns or contributing factors in any of these areas.

You may have a presenting concern, such as latching and feeding issues, and with paediatric osteopathy, we can assess why your child may be having difficulties and, manually treat those areas with specific and gentle touch. We also provide exercises to do with your child and resources for further treatment or management.

The aim of paediatric osteopathy is to find healthy balance of all body systems. We may address the nervous system to help your child settle and assist with regulation and integration. Many “behavioural” issues have an origin in the body and how comfortable we feel, and paediatric osteopathy can be one method of assisting your child to feel more relaxed and calm in their body.

Cathy offers combined appointments for you and your newborn baby within the first 3 months postpartum. This special appointment helps both you and your baby recover from the delivery, helps to establish and maintain breastfeeding, and supports both you and your baby to attune to one another. This may include treatment of both you and the baby together, and where extra attention is needed, individually as well.

Whether your child has typical development or has a medical concern, Cathy is trained and experienced in working with children of all ages and particularly loves working with children with neurodevelopment concerns. If you have any questions, please contact the office so we can best advise you on how Cathy can help.