Toddlers become children and children become teenagers - and for all of them, their bodies undergo considerable and often rapid change.
For the teenager the school bags become heavier whilst their posture develops the ‘slouch’ - especially with the increasing use of laptops.
During these years, many young people take part in a high level of various sports and recreational activities frequently resulting in injuries which if not treated when young can become a problem later in life.
Many older teenagers also start to take on part-time work which introduces them to yet more physical demands on their still growing and changing bodies.
These difficult and increasing demands carry the risk of injury and structural stress that if not treated now can lead to more chronic conditions in adulthood.
Osteopaths are trained professionals skilled in being able to examine, assess, diagnose and treat those injuries and conditions.
The osteopath will help the body to adapt to the growth changes and to accommodate the effects of hormones, including their effects on the circulation and metabolism as well as on the musculo-skeletal system.
The osteopath will also be able to offer advice on posture and exercise so that the postural stress has less chance of becoming a postural habit.
Some osteopaths may recommend annual check-ups for your child to prevent these injuries/stresses developing or becoming a problem in later life.
Speak to your osteopath about “spinal assessments”. Osteopaths can make a full spinal assessment of your child to ensure that any spinal curvatures are detected early on in development. This will aid in monitoring changes and help with any future treatment programme. Advice or referral if necessary can be arranged.
So called growing pains are frequently no more than this. However, all teenagers complaining of back pain should be examined and assessed in order to be clear of the underlying cause. In all cases, if once the baby/child is assessed, the osteopath decides there is no need for treatment, we will inform parents of such.