Osteopathy for babies: it works from birth

With our André Soussan, osteopath DO for 30 years, specialist in babies and teacher of clinical anatomy. Author of “The Suffering of Newborns and Infants in Osteopathy”, ed. Frisian Roche.

Osteopathy: From the first days after birth

“The osteopath can intervene when there is obvious suffering in the newborn, due either to childbirth or to the condition of the child”, explains André Soussan, osteopath, specialist in babies. But also, once life-saving emergencies are handled, when there are obvious malformations, cranial or spinal, or to soothe the trauma of a difficult birth. “It will intervene again 2 or 3 weeks later, when the baby will have acclimatized a little”, continues André Soussan, who pleads for a systematic osteopathic examination of babies in the maternity ward “which would allow early detection of any suffering”.

Osteopathy to relieve congenital torticollis

The congenital torticollis is the most marked suffering, very often due to a malposition of the child in utero. In fact, the baby got stuck in a bad position for several weeks or even months. Suddenly, the deep muscles of his neck spasmed, contracted, to try to compensate.

The specialist details his intervention:

• By very gentle support, at the suboccipital level (the base of the skull) and at the level of the whole of the spine. We intervene in two stages: first by restoring momentary comfort to the child by very gentle unfolding techniques, which will allow him to relax his muscles; then, we act in depth, by carrying out a complete body unfolding.
• We do a kind of “going back”, to understand when there was a suffering, a shock or a difficult passage. By following the tensions of the muscular envelopes, by a very fluid, very soft mechanical movement, we will restore homogeneity to the muscular contracture.
• The goal ? Find a balance between the muscles located on either side of the cervical, between the superficial and the deep. By going against the grain of this twist adopted by the baby.

Osteopathy to relieve plagiocephaly

Plagiocephaly, or flat head, is a deformation of the newborn’s skull, which is still cartilaginous and membranous. In fact, the skull gradually ossifies, but sometimes, at birth or within three months, it will deform. Because the joints of the bones of the skull have undergone parasitic stresses, for example in utero.

The specialist details his intervention:

• Always by extremely gentle manipulations, working around two main axes: the cranial vault (bones like the temporal, occipital) and the bones of the central line, which start from the back to the front of the skull. It is often very positive and after three or four consultations, we see a very clear change. Pediatricians often tell parents not to worry, it will work out. Which can be the case. But sometimes, we see children of 4-5 years with very asymmetrical cranial positions, significant deformations.
• The osteopath re-harmonizes all the cranial structures by very gentle pressure.

Osteopathy to relieve physical suffering due to childbirth

It is often a child who cries continuously, with obvious pain. There is the difficulty of birth, with all the stress inflicted on the baby that this implies: the noise, the falling instruments, the aggressive light …

The specialist details his intervention:

• We bring a kind of sensory link with the child, we give him a feeling of security with very large, very reassuring hands, with a way of touching the child, and of talking to him.
• Very often I speak as if the child could understand everything. He sets up a kind of conversation. This is amazing. He relaxes completely, and all the previous tensions, fetal tensions, are relieved. 

We also have cranial listening techniques, to correct all the structures by pressure at the base of the skull.

Osteopathy in the first months

Once the baby has returned home, the osteopath will continue his treatment by resolving, in two to five sessions, a number of problems depending on the concerns that bother the newborn.

It relieves GERD

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is often present in newborns. Most often it disappears spontaneously around the 3rd month. Several causes explain it. One of them comes from the upper part of the stomach, which forms a closed anti-reflux angle in adults, but is still open in newborns. There is therefore direct communication between the stomach and the esophagus.

The specialist details his intervention:

•  First, we work on the position of the stomach: we do very small pulls of the stomach and esophagus and we wait for the baby’s breathing to help us.
• Sometimes we also work very gently on the vagus nerve, a cranial nerve that can affect reflux. 
• You can also play on the position of the tongue and the arch of the palate: you press very gently to reposition. Usually three consultations are sufficient.

Osteopathy relieves blocked tear ducts

The child always has a weeping eye: he may have a blocked tear duct.

The specialist details his intervention:

• By a very simple and practical technique of fronto-nasal disengagement, which proves to be effective in 75 to 80% of cases, without the intervention of an ophthalmologist.
• You just act by pulling the structures, giving play. It doesn’t hurt, but most children don’t like this maneuver and start to cry. The problem is often very quickly resolved.

Osteopathy relieves ENT pathologies

Of course, in cases of acute otitis media or white angina, the child takes antibiotics, but minor ENT disorders can also be relieved by osteopathy.

The specialist details his intervention:

• Using cranial techniques, we fight against chronic ear infections by working on the temporal bone, which is moved slightly in internal and external rotation, techniques of drainage of the middle ear.
• We also intervene as a preventive measure on these small ENT problems, by slightly reshaping the skull. Two consultations may be suitable.

Osteopathy relieves colic

They are often due to a malposition of the gastrointestinal mass, but also and especially to the presence of toxic air. They are gastrophagia, or aerocolies: the air causes pain and compresses the structures, and above all, it will slow down the transit a little.

The specialist details his intervention:

• It already involves dietary advice: like changing milk in some cases. It is also generated by a hepatic overload in children if, for example, they are fed milk that is too rich in lactose.
• So there are manual liver drainage techniques, very gentle hepatic compressions. In two or three consultations, it is usually very effective.

Osteopathy relieves sucking problems

Problems with sucking can lead to trouble, which sometimes leaves the baby hungry. When he hurts himself while swallowing, he stops his bottle or the breast before he has exhausted his hunger. He will then start to cry because he is not satisfied with his diet. And there it is a real anguish which is triggered.

The specialist details his intervention:

• We will gently adjust the position of the tongue, because very often the child has macroglossia, a disproportion between the mouth and the tongue.
• We will gently stretch the structures, press on the arch of the palate to restore plasticity to this membrane. Sometimes that’s enough.
• Otherwise, the entire mandible can be repositioned by relieving tension at that precise location.

Testimony of Magda, mother of Arman, 8 months and a half

« The osteopath examined my son with extreme attention.  Arman has had two sessions and is doing like a charm. At first he found it very difficult to stay on his back. According to the osteoarthritis, he had a lot of tension in his back, plus a slight ebb. The first time, Arman was on his back and the osteoarthritis put his hands at the level of the stomach and sternum. He worked a lot on the abdominal belt. He also placed Arman in a cloth and rocked him gently. The second session, the osteoarthritis worked on the cranial nerves. During the days that followed, I found my baby very stimulated. I find he sleeps much better and his reflux is relieved. He is a baby who eats very well. The osteopath examined my son from head to toe with great attention. For example, he found that his feet had very good support for his age. I enjoyed this great attention, and it’s great fun to see the osteopath talking so much to your baby. He would like to see my son again when the time comes for the walk. “