Treating children is one of the most rewarding experiences an osteopath can have. Regardless of their illness or condition, a child’s suffering almost always lives in the background of their consciousness. In the foreground, front and center, they remain rooted in the here and now, exploring their world with awe and wonder. To treat them properly, the cranial osteopath must meet them where they’re at, in the moment, the only place where healing happens.

Most of the children that Dr. Tieri treats suffer from some sort of trauma. The effects of trauma vary based on several factors, including the amount and direction of the force delivered. Below is a list of some of the typical presentations based on the age and stage of the child.

In the Newborn and Young Child;

The excessive force delivered to the fragile bones and membranes of a newborn child from a difficult delivery (prolonged labor, medication induced labor, or vacuum and forceps extractions), from falls, or other traumas creates tension that stresses the body and the developing nervous system. This often results in;

• Nursing and feeding difficulties

• Excessive spitting up and reflux

• Developmental delays

• Ear infections and chronic congestion

• Sensory issues

• Fears and phobias

In the School-Aged Child;

The untreated strains from the newborn and toddler stages are carried forward inside the body of the growing child (or new physical or emotional traumas may have occurred). While young children seldom have enough body awareness to feel this tension within, it affects their ability to function optimally. The compromised nervous system becomes oversaturated when challenged, making learning difficult and causing the child to adopt actions and behaviors as a means of escape or release—an unconscious attempt by the child to distract from the tension within. Some of the effected areas are;

• Focusing issues

• Concentration difficulties

• Learning delays

• Inappropriate, erratic, or impulsive behavior in certain situations

• Hyperactivity

In the Young Adult;

As the child grows into young adulthood, they may begin to feel the tension within their body from the untreated traumatic strain patterns, which now more commonly present as;

• Headaches

• Anxiety

• Social phobias

• Disorganized thinking

• Poor self-esteem.