IF your children are cranky, suffering recurrent infections, or having trouble sleeping, the chances are you will not have considered osteopathy as a viable form of treatment.

But experts say osteopathy – a complementary therapy that aims to treat health problems by working on the musculo-skeletal system – can provide effective relief for children with all manner of ailments and, once they are treated, the whole family feels the benefits.

When children are ill it tends to hit the whole family and parents are left feeling powerless to help.

Worcester mother Mandy Fox, aged 38, of Warndon Villages, Worcester, is one of those who has taken advantage of osteopathy.

Mrs Fox’s entire family is treated by registered osteopath Michelle Davies who operates from Healing Touch on Bath Road, and Worcester Natural Therapy Centre on The Tything.

The centres, which are run by Mrs Davies’ aunt Rita Davies and her mother Clare Davies, offer a variety of natural therapies, including colonic hydrotherapy, food sensitivity testing, reflexology and stress management.

Mrs Davies focuses on osteopathy and cranial osteopathy in particular.

Cranial osteopathy is a system of diagnosis and holistic treatment which helps to restore and maintain “physical and emotional harmony”

and works by using gentle pressure to encourage the release of tension and strains in the skull and throughout the body.

Mrs Fox’s family see Mrs Davies for a variety of problems. Four-yearold Holly has been treated for constipation, eight-year-old Ryan for irrational fears and lack of confidence, husband Roy for a variety of running injuries and Mrs Fox herself for a shoulder injury caused by carrying out repetitive everyday tasks.

Mrs Fox said: “Holly has suffered from constipation since she was about a year-and-a-half old. Neither her GP nor her paediatrician was able to find the reason why it would take up to a fortnight before she could empty her bowels and both said she would grow out of it. In the meantime, when she finally managed to go it would be a painful and upsetting experience for her.”

Mrs Fox contacted Mrs Davies and the care she received included a combination of cranial osteopathy and stomach massage, initially carried out on a weekly basis. “It can still take her a week before she goes but that’s a significant improvement and she’s finding it a lot easier to go now and is generally far less grouchy than she was before,” she said.

While Holly suffered from a physical complaint, Ryan has been treated for emotional issues.

“Most children have fears which are rational and understandable but Ryan was scared of all sorts of pretty normal things and it was affecting us all,” said Mrs Fox.

“He was frightened of trying anything new, of meeting new people and he was worried about going on holiday because he’d have to go on an aeroplane and he’d heard stories about crashes,” she said.

“He also found it difficult to sleep because of all the anxiety and when he did fall asleep he’d often wake up having had a nightmare. He’d been like this for years and it was taking its toll on all of us.”

Mrs Fox said that after just a few sessions of cranial osteopathy with Mrs Davies, Ryan had become a different child. She said: “As soon as she laid her hands on him, Michelle could feel that Ryan was tense and as a result he was unable to deal with normal day to day issues very well.

Realigning his body and releasing this tension made all the difference.

“When we flew out on holiday, although he was a little nervous he was far less stressed out about flying than before and we noticed a huge improvement when we came back – he never even mentioned the flight home.

“His confidence has also soared.

He volunteered to join a children’s group while on holiday and even put himself forward for a talent competition. We were sure he’d pull out at the last minute but he surprised us all when he got up and performed a comedy routine in front of about 300 people.

“His character has totally changed for the better. We noticed a radical change in both kids after just a few sessions and we now only need to take them for a check up every now and again although we’ll take them for a treatment if they bang their head as this can knock their bodies out of alignment again.”

Seeing these improvements is the reason Michelle has been practising for 11 years. Michelle graduated from the British School of Osteopathy in London with a Bachelor of Science Degree with Honours in Osteopathy. This was followed up with post-graduate training in cranial osteopathy – her preferred method of treatment.

Mrs Davies said: “With cranial osteopathy you see profound effects on the whole body. I’d always wanted to do something that would radically improve people’s lives and this really works. It’s a really satisfying and rewarding career for me.”

Patients come to see osteopaths for a wide variety of injuries and ailments – from arthritis in older people to colic in babies.

Michelle said: “It’s particularly rewarding for me to treat children because the manifestation of their anxieties and stress can impact upon the whole family and once the child has been treated, everyone benefits.”

● To find out more, call Michelle or Clare Davies on 07966 493994 or 01885 488025 or email michelle@worcesterosteopath.

co.uk. You can also visit worcester-osteopath.com or osteopathbromyard.co.uk.

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN

HOLISTIC TREATMENT

The key philosophy is that the physical and mental aspects of life are closely interconnected and equally important.

COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

A group of therapeutic and diagnostic disciplines that exist largely outside the institutions where conventional health care is taught and provided, such as hospitals and GP surgeries. It has gained much greater status alongside conventional medicine in recent years. The original phrase ‘alternative medicine’, used in the 1970s and 80s, has fallen out of fashion. Increasingly it is seen as something which exists alongside conventional medicine, hence ‘complementary’.

CRANIAL OSTEOPATHY

Practioners say it can be used to treat all age groups, including babies who are irritable and cry constantly, those who have feeding difficulties, sickness or problems sleeping.

As the child grows, osteopaths say it can be used to treat all manner of infections, including recurrent ear, nose, throat and chest infections, including asthma and behavioural and learning difficulties.

Practitioners also say it can be used for pain relief for the lower back, neck, limbs or joints, headaches, injuries, or arthritis.