Soz this is long but pasted from Atman Clinic site ...
- The Osteopathic Treatment of Birth Trauma
If an adult was subjected to the forces that are involved during birth he or she would be very likely to be suffering in one way or another. It would be reasonable to expect a certain amount of residual psychological shock to present as well as a terrible headache, stiff neck and sore back. One would naturally request treatment of these symptoms and if this were not forthcoming one would complain loudly.
Babies are often brought to osteopaths after a traumatic birth because they are showing signs of distress. Symptoms that can alert the parents to a problem being present are:
Inability to breast-feed, regurgitation of food, colic and digestive dysfunction, sleeplessness, constant crying, rigidity of the baby (feels tense), distortion of the head, inability to turn the head equally side to side, squint and facial asymmetry.
Older children may be suffering with undiagnosed birth trauma when they present with:
Asthma, glue ear, hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders, sleeplessness, constant coughs and colds, learning difficulties, balance and co-ordination problems.
The body has an incredible ability to self heal. There are subtle rhythms and forces at work which regulate the body tissues after trauma. One way in which nature fixes the effects of a traumatic birth is by increasing the intra-cranial pressure by crying. Each time the baby cries it forces a ballooning of the skull which drives the bones apart helping them to find their correct balanced position. It is ironic that by comforting our children when they will not stop crying we may actually be prolonging their suffering. One needs to be able to leave the baby to cry for short periods. It is quite true that babies will often cry their way through mild birth trauma within the first twelve weeks of life. If they are seen early, treatment can aid the resolution of full movement of the cranial bones and much of the distress of the first few weeks can be avoided.
Another method by which nature fixes the problem is with the internal pressure that is generated when the baby sucks. The pressure of sucking onto the roof of the mouth causes the base of the cranium to be pumped up and down. If one feels the fontanelle on top of the baby's head during a feed you will be able to feel it go up and down as each suck has its effect. This is why dummies/soothers and bottles with small holes in the teat are known to help babies with colic and symptoms of distress.
Treatment of the baby is aimed at restoring full balance to the alignment of the body in the long axis. We ensure that the diaphragm and chest are moving freely with each breath. If the breathing movements are full this transmits movement to the pelvis and head of the baby. The rhythmic respiratory movements will then work to release the tension in the joints and muscles after a difficult birth. The baby is gently held with one hand under the head and neck and the other hand under the pelvis. If there is any twist or compression along the long axis of the baby it can be gently released. We then check the compression and alignment across the hips and shoulders before we check the head.
The head is examined for asymmetry, misalignment of cranial bones (causing ridges between the bones), muscular tension at the base of the skull down into the neck and for the quality of the involuntary movement or cranial rhythm in the cranium.
The treatment is very gentle in nature. The hands are seeking to help the baby find its centre of equilibrium and a state of balanced tissue tension in all parts of the body. The membranes around the brain and the tissues which anchor the brain within the skull, are of particular interest when we are dealing with symptoms arising from pressure on the cranial nerves. Once the point of balanced membranous tension has been found, it is held at that point permitting the inherent healing force within to normalise the body.
It was once said by Dr W G Sutherland, a pioneer in Cranial Osteopathy, "as the twig is bent, so the tree is inclined." It is easy for the skilled practitioner to straighten bent twigs!