OMT for Infants and Children

Problems may begin with birth itself (often an individual’s first trauma) as the infant’s skull pushes against the birth canal. For some infants, this and other injuries can cause strains within the child’s tissues that can appear immediately or later in life. This may affect not only the child’s appearance and shape of the skull, but also the function of other body parts including nerves that control sucking, digestion, and sleep. Common signs that a child may benefit from osteopathic treatment are inability to suck or swallow, misshapen skull, infantile colic, frequent spitting up, chronic ear infections, or delayed development. It can also be helpful for disorders which involve behavior such as ADHD and autism. Some problems, such as learning disabilities or scoliosis, may not surface until a later date.

Osteopathic treatment for children is very gentle and they tend to respond more quickly to osteopathic treatment than adults. Most children seem to enjoy it and some may even fall asleep during their treatment. Many parents notice improvement in their child’s symptoms and that their child is more focused, relaxed, and sleeps better after just one osteopathic manipulative treatment.