Cranio-Sacral Therapy for Children

4:14pm Thursday 11th October 2007

MY SON grinds his teeth in bed and is a light sleeper, which are minor problems when compared to other childhood conditions, but they do tend to make him tired and after a few nights it can start to affect the rest of the family's sleep patterns as well. When he was born, John had a ventouse delivery, but it only took one small suction to get him out. He was a healthy, if a bit snuffly and colicky baby, but otherwise well enough and now is a strapping six-year-old. However, I couldn't help wondering if the trauma of his birth was in any way responsible for the sleep problems he has.

I decided to ask the advice of my former neighbour Anne Stevens, who works as a lead physiotherapist at Anatomie clinic in Bushey. She is also qualified in Clinical Pilates and Cranio-Sacral therapy. Anne told me that Cranio-Sacral therapy could help. Apparently, during labour the passage of the baby through the pelvis and the birth canal can affect their bodies. The soft bones of the head are designed to move during birth but they don't always go back to the right position. Anne says: "Cranio-Sacral therapy is particularly good for children because it is a gentle and pain free treatment that allows their body to express what needs dealing with. It allows the child's cranial bones to find the right position, freeing up the cranial nerves which might be irritated, causing problems with swallowing, digestion, colic and breathing."

I booked John in for an appointment with Anne and on arrival at the clinic we were shown into the waiting area where the children can sit and play with toys. Mandy the receptionist is ready with crayons and paper for them to do drawings to help them settle down before treatment. Anne then goes through information on the birth and the medical history of the child up to the present day. Treatment is always given with mum present in the room. "The relationship between the mother and child will have an impact on the child's condition," says Anne. "The trauma in birth is suffered by both the mother and child. The mum is not a passive part of the situation and sometimes she chooses to have treatment herself.

"With children things happen as soon as I put my hands on. I can feel it straight away but they can find it difficult to put how they are feeling into words. There are signs of what happened in birth where something gets stuck and I help to finish the process that didn't quite happen back then. "Thankfully children do not have as many layers of accumulated problems to deal with as adult do so they can heal quicker."

For our session John is lying on the treatment couch but Anne tells me little ones often sit on the floor on a blanket with mum, or on mum's lap, and sessions are kept to a minimum. This is particularly effective with toddlers. "Children do not have the same level of patience and when the child says it feels uncomfortable or starts wriggling around I respect that and respond by taking my hands off. We might finish the session there."

Research has shown that childhood and adolescent conditions that have responded well to Cranio-Sacral therapy include Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD), autism, teeth and jaw mis-alignment, adolescent withdrawal, fears and phobias, bed-wetting and asthma. Anne tells about a baby she saw who was only a few weeks old. The mum was worried, because the baby couldn't keep her food down. After the first treatment the baby kept her food down for 24 hours, next treatment gave a week of respite. On the third treatment, the little girl had started to get a slight problem again, but after the treatment mum reported that she now kept all her food down, and was putting on weight like a normal baby, and the sessions stopped there.

During the course of our session John tells Anne about a porcupine that is prickling the top of his head. She gives him the image of a balloon, which represents the balloon around the brain. Anne suggests that the feeling of a porcupine pinching John's head might be the balloon stretching.

"If the child experiences a tingling, pulling or expanding sensation that's what it might feel like. Like the pulse of the cardiovascular system, the Cranio-Sacral system has a rhythm that can be felt throughout the body. As a practiitioner I feel an ebb and flow movement, which should be present everywhere in the body."

Anne will usually recommend three or four visits for treatment to be completed. After this session I notice John sleeps much better and in a follow-up session although very wriggly, he later settles down to another blissful night. I have noticed his breathing is more regular and he hasn't succumbed to the usual bout of autumn colds just yet.

Anatomie has branches in Harrow and Northwood but for Cranio-Sacral therapy contact the Bushey office on 020 8420 4600.

Details: anatomie.co.uk For Cranio-Sacral therapy: Craniosacral Therapy Association 07000 784 735, www.craniosacral.co.uk The Craniosacral Therapy Educational Trust, www.cranio.co.uk/ For women who have experienced birth problems: Birth Trauma Association www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk

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