How an osteopath can help a baby

In this article we will look at questions such as:

Why do newborn babies experience abdominal cramps?
What are the distinctive symptoms of colic?
How to help your baby yourself?
How is colic in a child treated?
How to determine when you need to see a doctor with colic?

At my appointment, mothers tell me that when a child has colic, it often comes down to the gas tube. Parents use it, neglecting the possible consequences and risks.

A gas tube is a device for removing gases from the intestines. It is used in newborns for constipation, as well as for increased gas formation.

Please remember that if there is a suspicion of a disease of the internal organs, then it is not permissible to perform this procedure at home. Before inserting a gas outlet tube, analyze the recommendations of specialists, because its use has a number of contraindications.

When does a newborn need an osteopath?

The baby's bones may be subject to unwanted compression while still in the womb. It happens that in the last stages of pregnancy, the child’s incompletely formed head rests on the mother’s pelvic bones. During childbirth, the fetal skull becomes deformed and subsequently easily returns to its normal shape. However, in the case of birth trauma, sometimes quite serious deformations occur that cannot be corrected without the intervention of a specialist. This is especially true during difficult births: obstetricians take additional measures, use vacuum extraction, apply forceps, and press on the abdomen for the so-called “squeezing.” In such circumstances, there is a high likelihood of damage to the cranial nerves and disruption of normal brain function.

In addition to the skull, the newborn's spine and hip joint are subject to excessive stress. The disorder is recognized when observing the baby: his preference to lie on only one side and difficulty turning his head. Without appropriate treatment, growth and development problems and curvature of the spine may occur, causing the child to experience back pain.

Children born by cesarean section also require osteopathic control because their bones have not been naturally modeled. The lack of natural loads makes it difficult to develop the most important ossification points of the cranium. All this requires additional medical measures, for which a visit to an osteopathic clinic is recommended. According to statistics, about 80% of infants have minor birth injuries that negatively affect the structure of bones, the condition of bone tissue, the cardiovascular system, and internal organs. Such damage is invisible to the eye and may be missed by doctors in the maternity ward. An osteopath can help a newborn adapt to the environment in order to develop properly in the future by gently influencing certain areas of the skeleton.

The main methods of treating the lumbosacral spine

If you want to know how to treat osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine, then the following information will be useful to you. This pathology is characterized by a gradual course of the disease, which can be replaced by periods of remission and exacerbation.

Initially, you need to get rid of pain and relieve the inflammatory process. For these purposes, appropriate drug therapy is used using modern injection and oral agents. The first category of drugs is used if you need to quickly get rid of severe pain.

Physiotherapy

Treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis is a long process that requires an integrated approach. After you have gotten rid of the primary symptoms, you can proceed to the use of various physiotherapeutic procedures:

UHF therapy. Exposure to high frequency electromagnetic fields. It has an anti-inflammatory, analgesic effect, and also promotes the launch of regenerative processes.
Amplipulse. Low frequency currents are applied to problem areas of the body. There is dilation of blood vessels, relief from pain and spasms.
Phonophoresis and electrophoresis. Introduction of drugs into deep tissues using ultrasound and direct current.

Massage procedures are also widely used, which are possible only after the inflammatory process has been relieved. Massage promotes muscle relaxation and relief from spasms.

Diet - comprehensive treatment of osteochondrosis

With this disease, it is necessary to act comprehensively, so changing the diet is a completely effective method of treatment. The diet is consistent with the generally accepted concept of healthy eating, so try to add the following types of foods to your diet:

Citrus fruits (in the absence of allergies).
Olive oil.
Fresh herbs and vegetables.
Mineral water.
Fish and foods containing large amounts of phosphorus, protein, magnesium and calcium.
Dairy and fermented milk products.

An excellent aid would be ready-made vitamin complexes, which can be found in large assortments in pharmacy chains. Remember that all medications should be taken only as prescribed by a doctor.

How is osteopathic treatment performed for infants?

At the first stage of work, as in the case of adult patients, a diagnosis is carried out. An osteopath needs only a few minutes to understand how he can be useful in this case, whether the child has injuries and how to correct them. During the examination, the condition of the baby’s internal organs, all vertebrae, sacrum, hip joint, and limbs is assessed.

Osteopathic correction of newborns is aimed at giving the skull the correct proportions, improving the dynamics of the cranial rhythm and the general condition of the child.

All manipulations are performed using a soft technique, taking into account the plasticity of the newborn baby’s bone tissue. Moreover, their level of effectiveness is no lower than it can be when working with an adult patient.

All actions to correct the shape of bones, which outwardly resemble a massage, are carried out directly by the osteopath manually. During the session, the baby does not experience any discomfort, his body relaxes, freeing itself from prolonged tension.

Main features of the pathology of the disease in osteochondrosis

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Osteochondrosis of the lumbar sacral spine is an extremely dangerous disease, so it is important to know its symptoms and treatment, which will prevent surgery.

This disease has the following features:

This type of pathology is the most common among all types of osteochondrosis. It is diagnosed in approximately 65% of the total number of recorded cases.
There is a clear connection between this disease and natural age-related changes. Statistics show that after 70 years, almost 80% of people suffer from manifestations of this disease.
The disease can appear at a much younger age. The risk group includes people engaged in intense physical labor or who are in a monotonous position for a long time.
The cause of osteochondrosis can be congenital anomalies, as well as provoking factors of various types.

What to expect as a result of osteopathic treatment?

After a course of osteopathy sessions, infants experience positive changes: daytime and nighttime sleep is normalized, and causeless crying disappears. Kids become calmer and more balanced. This indicates the restoration of bone, fascial, membranous and organic structure.

Most babies noticeably gain weight, compensating for the lack of weight before sessions with an osteopath. Their appetite returns, digestion returns to normal - this is evidenced by the absence of colic and loose stools. This is just one example of how a specialist can help a child through osteopathic treatment.

Osteopathy for a school-age child

Most often, health problems in school-age children arise due to poor posture. Consequences of such deviations:

flat feet;
diseases of internal organs;
scoliosis;
vegetative-vascular dystonia.

Such problems arise in pairs due to a violation of the structure of the spine as a result of a long stay in a sitting position. As for VSD, this problem has to do with rapid and rapid growth, due to which the body does not have time to adapt to such changes. This can include neuroses, various stresses, viral and infectious diseases

Physical activity and sports in early school age can also cause injuries (or microtraumas) and subsequent illnesses. Therefore, loads must be strictly regulated. In the correction and prevention of possible disorders caused by microtraumas during sports, manual techniques, in particular massage, demonstrate good effectiveness.

A nutritious healthy diet is another factor in normal development; an experienced pediatric specialist will help you choose such a diet. If the body receives enough vitamins, microelements and nutrients, the student will be able to develop correctly, without deviations, and will grow up healthy and cheerful. Treatment by a competent osteopath at Clinic No. 1 in Moscow, Khimki, will be effective and painless.

Should I show my baby to an osteopath?

There are situations when a child behaves relatively normally and only a few little things indicate problems with his health. The reasons for contacting an osteopath to examine a baby are the following signs:

Poor sucking reflex;
Frequent interruptions in food intake, crying during feeding;
Profuse regurgitation;
Interruption or lack of night sleep;
Difficulty falling asleep, even with motion sickness;
Sleep only when the stroller is moving or the crib is rocking;
Screams for no apparent reason;
Obvious deformation of the head;
The ability to hold one's head up in the first weeks of life.

Osteopathic treatment completely eliminates the effects of birth trauma and stress. In the absence of treatment, these negative consequences are only partially compensated and, despite the fact that the child “outgrows” and adapts, they become the cause of serious diseases and dysfunctions in the future. The task of parents is to recognize the presence of a problem and provide assistance to the child immediately after birth, saving him from a number of subsequent diseases.

What are the indications for manual therapy?

Poor posture: lordosis, kyphosis, scoliosis.
Hernias and protrusions of the spine.
Pathology of the knee, hip, ankle, shoulder, elbow and hand joints
Osteochondrosis.
Arthrosis.
Arthritis.
Headache: migraine, tension headache.
Neuralgia of various origins,

and many other diseases of the musculoskeletal system and more.

For protrusion, the chiropractor will individually select the technique that is necessary for a particular patient. By gently pressing on the ribs in certain places, the doctor increases the space between the vertebrae. The patient can lie on his back or side. When there is protrusion in the cervical spine, twisting is not used; the stretching technique is used more, the movements are soft and careful. A noticeable effect after manual therapy for protrusion manifests itself in the form of:

The pain goes away almost completely after the muscle spasm is relieved and the nerve root, which was pinched by the protrusion of the vertebra, is released.
Blood and lymph supply in the area of protrusion improves and metabolic processes in the area of the affected cartilage are normalized.
Vertebral displacement is eliminated, but only if it is not an advanced pathology.
Ligaments and tendons are more elastic and mobile.

In case of a hernia, manual therapy is carried out by applying pressure to certain centers, this helps return the intervertebral discs to their proper places. Pinched nerves are released, severe pain goes away, and normal muscle tone returns. If there is a hernia in the lumbar spine, after manual therapy the functioning of the pelvic organs is normalized, pain is relieved, and the ability to move returns. The positive effect after manual therapy for a hernia manifests itself in the form of:

An improvement in the condition is noted after the first session.
The muscle corset is strengthened by restoring blood and lymph supply in the muscles supporting the spine.
This is an excellent opportunity to avoid surgical intervention if the disease is not advanced.
It becomes possible to stop taking painkillers.
Metabolic processes in the body improve.

For osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. After the first session of manual therapy, dizziness and tinnitus disappear, spasm goes away and mobility in the shoulders and neck improves. The main task of manual therapy for osteochondrosis is to improve metabolic processes, give the correct shape to the spinal column and restore all the tissues that surround the spine. A set of manual therapy methods is used for spinal osteochondrosis: joints are restored with forced movements, a relaxing massage is introduced to relieve muscle tension and pain, and stretching is used to improve blood supply and metabolic processes. Manual therapy for spinal osteochondrosis is chosen because:

All manipulations are painless, complete relaxation and comfort.
Allows you to avoid surgical intervention and eliminate the use of medications.
Achieving positive and effective treatment results in a short time.
Heals and strengthens the body as a whole, improves metabolic processes.
Treatment is carried out in any part of the spine.

In case of scoliosis and kyphosis, it is necessary to carry out a thorough preliminary diagnosis, this will determine the cause of the formed changes, then reduce the curvature in the spine and eliminate pain (if any). Many years of experience prove that in the treatment of grade I-II scoliosis and mild or moderate kyphosis with manual therapy, a stable positive result is achieved. Treatment is aimed at restoring flexibility to the spine, eliminating muscle overload and restoring weakened muscles. Sometimes, after a session, the patient experiences pain in the affected area, but this is normal and indicates that the muscles and ligaments are returning to their proper place. After a course of manual therapy, the posture becomes smooth and beautiful, the pain goes away.

When the sciatic nerve is pinched, the pain is acute, it is impossible to move, strong muscle spasms force the patient to be completely at rest, depriving him of the opportunity to actively live. Manual therapy methods can carefully and gently eliminate nerve compression and pain, restore normal tone to muscles and ligaments, relieve swelling, and restore lost mobility. Sometimes a massage session is needed, which is carried out together with manual therapy.

In case of a headache, the chiropractor first finds out the cause of the pain, in which area the source of the problem is formed, which muscles, ligaments, vertebrae and joints led to the painful result, and excludes other causes of headache except those associated with spinal pathology. It is recommended to do an MRI or radiography, ultrasound, electroneuromyography, and laboratory diagnostics. And only after confirmation of the diagnosis, the method and technique of manual therapy is selected.

Children's perinatal problems

The base of the skull plays an extremely important role as it is the location of the nerves that influence the proper functioning of the tongue, face, pharynx and vagus nerve. Abnormal tension in this area causes problems with sucking and eating.
Strain in a child's ears causes destruction of the middle ear tissue, which increases the child's susceptibility to recurrent and painful otitis media.
If the temporal bone is compressed during childbirth, this can lead, for example, to strabismus, since the pressure in this area disrupts the function of the nerves that supply the abductor muscle of the eye.
Perinatal stress on the facial bones can lead to numerous malocclusions.
Strong compression of the ribs and diaphragm can lead to obstruction of the esophagus and also cause reflux.
Variable tension in the abdomen is also caused by pressure on the umbilical cord and as it wraps around the baby's neck.

Advantages of the technique

Comfort. The use of a pediatric osteopath is well tolerated by young patients, does not cause pain and does not cause discomfort to the child.
Safety. Osteopathic practice involves a gentle effect on the body, which is carried out within physiological limits using the necessary precautions to avoid complications.
Systemic effect on the body - osteopathy does not treat any specific organ, but the body as an integral system. At the same time, there are often situations when the child’s parents come with complaints about the work of a certain body or system, but the source is completely different. And only after eliminating the cause of the disease is it possible to fully restore not only the area of the body that was complained about, but also the one that was already working with overload, but has not yet bothered.
Possibility of reducing the number of medications used.
Individual approach. Each patient, even with the same symptom, has a different reason for its development, and we act primarily on it. Our doctors have more than 300 techniques in their arsenal. Such diversity allows us to find an approach to each patient and resolve his issue as effectively as possible.

Contraindications

Limitations in osteopathic treatment are usually associated with the presence of severe diseases and urgent conditions that require immediate medical intervention and even the connection of additional equipment. This list includes:

Acute infectious diseases or exacerbations of chronic ones.
Acute surgical pathology (bleeding, acute abdomen, etc.).
Severe pulmonary or heart failure (hypertensive or hypotensive crisis, decompensated arterial hypertension).
Severe neurological diseases (stroke, meningitis, encephalitis, etc.).
Acute inflammatory vascular diseases.
Aneurysms of blood vessels or cavities of the heart.
Early postoperative period, or trauma (acute period).
Systemic connective tissue diseases during exacerbation.
Severe mental illness.
The presence of purulent processes in the body.