Osteopaths at Osteopathic services @ Checknet House are happy to help patients with any treatment listed above.

Spitting up

Spitting-up is a fairly common condition for babies during their first 6-12 months. Milk or food is reguritated fairly gently by the child in an involuntary fashion; by contrast vomiting is a more violent expulsion of food or liquid. The medical term is "gastroesophageal reflux". The most common cause of this reflux is the relatively small size of the baby's stomach relative to the amount of milk drunk or food ingested and is exacerbated if the baby takes in too much air whilst feeding. Osteopaths recommend to try to slow feeding and to hold the baby upright whilst drinking and for as long as possible - at least a quarter of an hour - after feeds. Osteopaths frequently treat this condition which can be helped by gentle massage of the stomach and release of tension in the soft tissues around the blood vessels feeding the liver, lungs , diaphragm and the small intestine. In addition the release of tension around the umbilical scar has been found beneficial in treating spitting up.

Neck stiffness

Neck stiffness is one of the most common conditions presented to ostoepaths. The most typical presentation is a muscle in spasm which is a reaction by the body to protect a deeper primary cause which may be an indication of a more serious neck complaint. Frequently the cause of the pain is a single violent trauma such as a whiplash or sports injury. More worrying would be an underlying degenerative condition weakening the discs in the spinal column. An osteopath will treat this condition most effectively after the worst of the spasm has passed so that the underlying condition may be effectively diagnosed and addressed. Typically rest and ibuprofen will be recommended in the interim. Once the muscles have relaxed manipulation or mobilisation are likely to be beneficial.