What is Osteopathy for Teenagers
Osteopathy offers a holistic approach to supporting teenagers’ health by addressing musculoskeletal issues, promoting healthy development and preventing injuries. Osteopaths can help adolescents thrive physically during this important stage of life through management of musculoskeletal pain, growth related pain and postural advice.
Educating teenagers on posture during daily activities, sitting at a desk, carrying school bags, and playing sport may help prevent musculoskeletal issues in the future.
Common causes of pain in teenagers include:
- Back Pain - acute or chronic. Some teenagers experience back pain associated with scoliosis.
- Neck Pain
- Shoulder Pain
- Knee Pain, including Osgood Schlatters Disease
- Foot Pain, including Sever’s Disease
How can osteopathy help?
Osteopaths conduct a thorough assessment including case history, physical examination and posture analysis. We also use palpation (feeling of the tissues) to assess muscle tone and joint mobility.
Once a cause of pain is determined your osteopath will discuss a treatment plan with you – with the aim to help pain management, reduce inflammation and improve mobility and function.
Osteopaths are trained to screen for medical conditions. If the cause of pain is not musculoskeletal, your child may need to be referred to another healthcare practitioner.
Osteopathic treatment uses gentle hands-on manual therapy techniques which may include soft tissue massage, stretching, and gentle joint manipulation. Some of our osteopaths may use soothing cranial techniques which are focused on the head and spine. If cranial osteopathy is a specific request of yours, please let us know before booking an appointment so we can make sure you are seeing a practitioner who uses cranial techniques.
Your osteopath may provide you with an exercise programme tailored to your specific needs. This may include exercises to help strengthen your core muscles, improve flexibility and support your spine. Osteopaths can also provide guidance to help reduce strain on your back whilst working, as well as offer sleep positioning and daily activity advice.
Regular osteopathic check-ups which include assessment and treatment can help to maintain musculoskeletal health and prevent reoccurrence of pain. Osteopaths can also provide guidance on injury prevention strategies specific to sports and physical activities, including warm-up routines, proper technique, and recovery practices.
Children under 16 must have a parent/guardian attend appointments with them.
