Cranial osteopathy for children

Could cranial osteopathy relieve distressing pain and pressure in babies and small children? Dr Howard Lee investigates

Cranial osteopathy is associated with the oldest known method of healing - the 'laying on of hands'. Cranial osteopaths were originally labelled 'quacks' for stating that the bones of the skull should be slightly mobile to allow the contained structures to grow and develop normally - and permit treatments. The development of modern examination and diagnostic equipment has confirmed these early statements.

Osteopathy originated from the belief that misaligned bones and improper joint functions were responsible for pain and disease - resulting from a change in circulating blood in the back - and led to the development of various techniques like 'mobilisation, massage, gentle manipulation and stretching'. Such therapy works by restoring a necessary balance to structures of the skeleton, which, in turn, aids a return to a healthy function.

Early experiments
Cranial osteopathy was developed in the early 1900s by American osteopath William G Sutherland. He concentrated on very gentle osteopathy to the head, believing that proper functioning of the brain and nervous system depended on the ability of the bones of the skull to move slightly. He experimented on his own head and found that restrictions of movement and varying pressures (which he achieved using a helmet-like device) produced pain in various areas and had a subsequent effect on his overall health, both mentally and physically. His experiments demonstrated that gentle compression in certain areas could help, as well as detect, many problems.

Birth stress for babies
It is widely thought that babies and children have no structural 'stresses' in their bodies simply because of their age. The reality is very different. Enormous forces have expelled the baby against the natural resistance of the birth canal. The baby's head is compressed, twisted and moulded in order to facilitate the birth. This birth trauma may be compounded by any of the possible complications that can occur in delivery (for example the necessity for forceps assistance).

After delivery the head gradually un-moulds over the next few days. In some cases, however, the un-moulding process may be incomplete and this is especially so in the case of a particularly difficult or assisted birth. In cases like this the baby may have uncomfortable stresses remaining within the head and body, and while many do cope very well, others can show a variety of problems.