Cranial Osteopathy - worth it or a waste of money?

[mummymimi]

My 7 month old DS has always been unsettled, colicky and windy, definately different to my other 3 children. Cranial osteopathy has been recommended to me recently.

He had a very quick delivery (38 mins from first contraction) and cord around his neck.

Has anyone used a cranial osteopath and what was your experience?

waste of money

My CO diagnosed DD with a "tight diaphragm" and the work she did and the exercises se gave us really did help DD immensely.
I was sceptical but also desperate and it worked for us.

I'm a sceptic for CO but not so much for osteopathy generally (they are quite different in procedure). That said, our CO did an amazing job on DS for a frozen shoulder/neck which he'd acquired in utero (so more osteo than CO) and I'd recommend the treatment for other troubled LOs.

I am also a sceptic about the catch-all "colic" for babies who cry a lot - it seems quite possible that lots of babies have physical problems caused by birth (or before) which are left untreated and they are genuinely in pain.

BTW I also started out as a severe acupuncture sceptic, but was treated with it and it did make a difference to severe neurological pain which conventional treatments couldn't touch. I think it's naive to say that a treatment is biologically implausible (full stop): our knowledge of physiology is limited so some things are only biologically implausible relative to our current theory of biology. (That is not to say that some treatments aren't hokum though!)

rant over!

BTW Doris - I share your view that randomised double-blind trials are the way to go. (Via this it has been found that some forms of acupuncture are effective, as are some other traditional treatments of chinese medicine.)

doris you come back to aoplogise but still go on to belittle my experience.

"more down to the therapeutic role and unwitting cold reading."

I have no idea what you mean by this.

I could tell you exactly what happened with my son, and why I know having CO treatment worked but I don't see why I should tbh.

As for evidence that it works? I have it sat right next to me.

To the postes talking about skull manipulation - you are wrong. It is all very gently done.

mummymimi - can you let me know who has been recommended to you in Dorchester? I'm in the area too and have been thinking about taking my dd to see someone.

Put me down with the non-believers. I think it can work but absolutely not in the way the practitioners say it will. In cases where it has worked I believe it is either because the problem is self-limiting, or because it's relaxing for the baby (just like having a massage can relax an adult) or because it acts as a placebo on the parent - relaxed parent makes for relaxed baby.

Horrified to read Doris's posts and so relieved to read that others are not put off by her attitude problem.

'the plural of anecdote is not data' I like that

What makes MN so special (compared to sterile, over-moderated forums)
is the variety of views on each thread so in that sense I am grateful for Doris's additions.
Pointing out the lack of scientific basis is hardly an attitude problem.

On this occasion we will probably go with the crowd and give CO a try.
I am quite curious what they actually do and I am also a great believer in the Placebo effect

I was referring to how and not what Doris has to say. Absolutely nothing wrong with a variety of opinions. Just find her posts rude and tight on the communication level, not to mention poorly informed. CS Osteopathy was founded by medical professionals and is embedded in scientific research.

addictedtodollymixtures - The recommended osteopath is Samantha Middlehurst from the Charles Steet Clinic, her number is in the yelllow pages under osteopaths.

I am still undecided whether to go to the appointment or not, as my son seems to suffer with alot of wind from both ends and 9 times out of 10 when his is unsettled and crying it's due to pain caused by this wind. So if his problem is with his digestive system, will it actually have any effect?

mummymimi - not sure when your appointment is but let us know how you got on.
I have taken ds today (6mo - terrible sleeping) so waiting to see what the results will be...

I am/was a sceptic.
But DS2 had 5 perforated eardrums in the first 5 months of his little life.
we went to see a CO and he hasn't had an ear infection since.

How

I have no idea
we saw an ENT surgeon during the process through the NHS and he said he had no idea what she had done but it had seemed to make a difference with the size of the tubes ad drainage in that area..

It's nonsense.

skepdic.com/craniosacral.html

doris isn't medical research usually funded by drugs companies or medical organisations. I was of the understanding that it wasn't in either of these to groups interest to fund large studies on either acupuncture or CO hence there isn't much research being done.

Because of the lack of research either proving or disproving CO one must rely on anecdotal information which is what the op has done and so far based on this thread CO get a pretty positive response.

My own experience of CO was that my 6 month old usually very happy baby had never once been able to go on in his car seat without screaming the place down, we were at our wits end,my dh had crashed the car with him in, we had spent a fortune on new car seats toys etc when somebody suggested we try it. On the journey home he slept in the car for the first time ever, we had 2 visits and that was it. The CO never promised any miracles with regards to sleep etc but whats the harm in trying. There is no evidence of any harm ever being done. He was never colicky and who knows what was causing this discomfort but whatever it was CO worked.

When you have tried everything and then 1 or 2 sessions with a CO makes a huge difference you believe.

I have been there and have cared for babies before and after, all have responded positively.

If you think about it conventional medicine is not consistant, i can take medication my friend can't for the same diagnosed condition!!

So what works for some won't for others be it conventional or alternative treatment.

QOTH - there is a difference between cranio sacral treatment and cranial osteopathy - just so you know

Hello, I'm late to the discussion, not in support and most heinous of all....I'm a dad!!!

I just wanted to echo dorisbonkers and say that there really is no scientific evidence that it helps other than psychologically helping the parents and maybe being mildly relaxing for the baby during treatment.

Unfortunately there are a lot of people out there willing to take your money whether they are well meaning or not and so please do always go into anything like this with your eyes wide open and do research beforehand.

I hope that everyone got their babies settled (well it was over a year ago!!)

If you are wanting something gentler the Bowen Technique is amazing 👍 So incredibly gentle hit the results are miraculous.

Zombie thread.

Child in the OP will now be 8 years old and probably no longer colicky.

Why on earth would you reanimate an 8 year old thread?????