Please tell me about your experiences with osteopathy!

[emkana]

I started another thread about osteopathy, but it sort of sank without trace (thanks NCQ though!) so I though I'd try again with a different title!

I'm wondering about taking ds to see an osteopath.

Have you been with your child, why did you go, did it help?

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I went to see one with my 5 week old son with colic - both my DH and I being medical are/were very skeptical (SP!?) but we were amazed! Came home with a different baby.

Oooh, was just about to post a thread on "has anyone had osteopathy for a newborn". My osteo recommended it when I told him I was pg. Said it helped the lungs and digestive system develop and prevented colic. Glad someone's had a good experience of it.

I've seen an osteo a few times emkana, for myself and found it very helpful. Would take DD (11) if I felt she needed it and do believe in having a "tune up" now and again for myself anyway.

DH objects to the idea of "messing with a newborn", but I do plan to find out lots about it and hopefully bring him round.

I took my dd (at 6 weeks old) to the Children's Osteopathic Clinic in CLerkenwell (London). Its a charity and by donations only. ANyhow, she seemed to respond really well to the treatment (we went for reflux).. but it's hard to say that she just didn't grow out of it anyhow. It made me feel better anyhow and its a super place.

That's not too far from me. Thanks for that. I'll certainly look into it.

My osteopath says the sooner the better with a newborn as they get so squished being born. He says he does home visits for kiddies. (Though not near where I live, otherwise I'd use him.)

I took DS1 to an osteopath when his asthma was at its worst - so between 18 months and 2.5-ish. The osteopathic treatment was certainly benign, though I can't say I really noticed any significant effect on DS2's asthma. He was a very nice man, who said when we first came that DS2's chest musculature was very tight, and gave us exercises/physio stuff to do every day. Apparently the chest loosened up, but the asthma was still bad with every cold. I think his recovery might have been quicker. DS2 enjoyed the sessions anyway.

We also tried fish oils (supposed to improve lung function) and some other foods. I will try to remember what they were; a friend lent me a very useful 'nutriceutical' book which had recommendations for foods for all sorts of conditions. I'll see if I can google it. DS2 still takes the fish oil.

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I have osteopathy when my back gets really bad, as I can't afford it too frequently - my osteopath charges £40 a session. But I took DD1 for cranial osteopathy when she was 4 weeks old, as she'd quite a difficult birth and she seemed to settle down after that. I've taken her on and off since then - particularly effective for teething and cold related chest problems and digestive issues.

I took my DTs when they were 2 weeks old...I had been seeing the osteopath throughout my pregnancy (reckon he kept me on my feet!) and he wanted to see them asap because they were born by CS. Again, they have seen him a few times for chesty problems - DT1 used to suffer particularly with chest congestion during a cold. She would only settle upright in my arms - would scream if I laid her down. Took her for one treatment and that night she slept through!!

I take DS (5) to see an osteopath for cranial osteopathy for glue ear. Happy to report that after 6 months it has gone completely in one ear and has almost gone in the other. Consultant told me I was wasting my money when I asked his opinion on it. He thought surgery was a better idea (?????). Felt quietly smug when he told me it was almost gone last time we went back!

DH also has osteo for an ongoing back problem - seems to work for him.

I have used osteopathy on and off over the last 20 years and both of my children have had cranial osteopathy, DS just when he was new born to help him as he was OP and had a traumatic delivery. DD to help her settle when she was a bit unsettled as a new born adn then again to help her when she suffered continuous colds and chest infections.
Success just about every time with all of us.
DH doesn't get on so well with osteopthay but I think that is because he doesn't do as he is told after treatment - he'd think nothing of going to the gym 2 hours later or something daft like that.

Interesting that people have gone with repeated chest infections.

I guess it's worth a try...
might start thread on homeopathy now!

is that your son's problem Emkana?

Postive experiences for me/ds with osteopath, definitely worth a shot if you can afford it.

Without demeaning (not sure of appropriate word here but you get the gist) the good work of osteopaths, my physio who I see on the NHS (therefore free) has stated that they do nothing that he doesn't.

Emkana - you'll like this one:

took ds2 aged about 8 months. The osteopath (cranial) felt him, and his chest. Said "oh he has trerrible chest congestion, is he very mucusy" nutter I thought but said "no not at all". She expressed surprise and continued to touch him very lightly, then said that she thought she had loosened some of the mucus. Off we went.

That night at midnight, ds2 who was in my bed, sat up gave two hulking coughs and brought up the thickest green mucus I have ever seen! We saw her for a few further times to clear his chest.

I took ds1 to one as well, but didn't really help him much, although was kind of relaxing for him I think. You need a cranial osteopath for a baby really.

emmatom - that may be so but I guess it depends on your physio. The one I went to did nothing for me and I was only allowed 6 sessions. I know there are better ones out there but not neccessarily NHS ones.

Emmatom, we have a Physio here at work (free on our healthcare plan) and also an Osteo who is £35 per sesh. I've been to see both and the physio has treated my muscular problems (bad shoulder etc), but I was recommended to the Osteo when I had what you might call, "non-specific back ache", which was caused by bad posture etc. I'm not aware that physiotherapists do the kind of manipulation where you can feel and hear your spine "click" into place. I might be wrong. That's just my experience of them.

My friend's physio also sent her to an Osteopath when he felt he wasn't able to cure her back ache.

Jimjams, wow!

I'm going to see a cranial osteopath, what other osteopaths are there?

I've been taking my DS to an osteopath since he was 7 (he's now 19) for dyspraxia and related problems. I was very very sceptical at first but it really does seem to make a difference both to his gait/posture and well being. He used to have a whole raft of nervous tics and all those went as soon as we started seeing the osteo. He'll quite often say after treating him "he's coming down with something" and sure enough within a couple of days he's got a cold or something.

I went to an osteopath after both my DC's were born (c-sections), I suffered with really bag back pains and found that the joints in my pelvis hadnt "gone back right".

Glad I got it sorted it took about 6 months of treatment in both cases but it was a good investment both in time and money, I was also in medicash at the time and they paid for half of my treatment upto a certain amount, which really helped. I think each treatment was £20-30 pounds and i was going weekly at first and then fortnightly.

Took ds2 to a cranial osteopath for colic when he was a baby. I was desperate and had been given some money from my grandmother, but he didn't need much as everything had been handed down from ds1 so decided to risk it all on the osteopathy instead.

Osteopath said that the bones in his skull were compressed and around the ribs was very tight - so a mix of a headache and indigestion were probably the main contributing factors to him hating lying flat.

First session didn't seem to do much, second session he got worse the first 24hrs then suddenly became MUCH more settled and would sleep in his moses basket in the day. That gradually wore off over the week. Third session the good effect lasted all week. Fourth session came and went and he was a different baby - so much more settled. It really was a turning point for us and the best money I ever spent.

Personally, cranical osteopathy on babies is not for me. I don't think it does anything (the manipulations are very very very gentle) and feel that there isn't much 'science' to it IYSWIM. (This is just MHO). Osteopathy for adults is a diffierent kettle of fish, I think it can be effective. I expect that the improvement seen after cranial osteopathy sessions is either due to the passage of time and the maturing of the infant (for example re: reflux or sleep etc.) or coincidence. I appreciate there are many personal accounts though of how people feel this has helped them and their little ones.

dd (born prem with IUGR) had a small head for length which caused concern whilst she was a baby and we consulted a pediatrician because of the possibility the skull plates may have fused or that her skull wasn't growing correctly. We also spoke with a pediatric neurologist. Both didn't feel cranial osteopathy would do any harm per se but they thought there was 'nothing in it' IYSWIM. We didn't speak about osteopathy on adults, or non-cranial manipulations.

hth

It has worked wonders for my dyspraxic son (age 10), who was also delivered by forceps.
Before his course of treatment he was unable to stand still because he couldn't balance properly. He also had lots of sleep problems.
After the first session he went extrement pale and got a massive headache, which the Osteopath said was a release of pressure from his skull.
I thought he had broken my child (!), and was not keen to return, but DH insisted we did.
After three more treatments he was like a different child physically, and he was able to explain that he often had headaches, but didn't realise as he had thought they were normal.
DH had a course too, and is now no longer pigeon- toed, his back problems have been sorted, and he no longer suffers with headaches.
DS2 had no such miraculous events happen, but he enjoyed the sessions.
I will certainly go and have a session to help my back, once I can afford some decent underwear!

"extremely pale"
Doh!

Don't know about babes but has got me through pregnancy with sanity intact -sorted out back pain that was preventing me sleeping after GP told me it was "just one of those pregnancy things that will get worse before it gets better". I agree with whoever said there is a crossover with physio but I bet you can't get next-day physio treatment from the NHS. I will definitely give cranial osteo a go with junior if he seems to be having a rough time (touch wood).