Lovely though that would be, we know we have to let them fall, we have to let them be free, run about, try new things, sometimes get a few bashes and bruises along the way, just like we did as kids. “Come back when it’s dinner time” mum would say. And we would be having a ball of a time, covered in mud from falling into a stinking quagmire in the local woods, swinging on an old rope that had been there for years, not a care in the world, and certainly no care for the time.
And so, kids falling, trying things out and well, just being kids, is a very important part of life. Osteopathically, it is also a very important part of development – finding out where you limits are, learning to roll when you take a tumble, learning how to balance so that next time you can walk just a little bit further along that fence you weren’t supposed to be walking along.
Watching from the side lines as a parent of course is a different story, your heart almost beating out of your chest watching some of the crazy things kids do. Our message to you is this – if your child is complaining of an ache or a pain for 1 week or longer, or has frequent headaches, they need to be checked over. A child’s body is able to cope and dissipate many more knocks than an adult, and so if they’ve gotten to the point where they pain doesn’t go away, its time to have to problem assessed.
All of the osteopaths at ThreeeSixty have completed a 50-hour course on the various ailments that affect children and teenagers, so we’re well poised to help. We’re also used to treating kids of all ages, and can set them at ease quickly if they’re at all worried about having a treatment. In our experience, kids actually love coming in! But, give us a call for a chat if you’re unsure in any way.
Gemma and Blake’s Osteopathic journey:
“Blake [9 years old] is a typical boy, always throwing himself into everything. Most of the time I just think, ‘well, boys will be boys’ and let him get on with it, unless its really dangerous. One of his favourite things to do is go to the skate park in Orewa. We find it really good, all the kids interact with each other and take turns, we love it there. Plus it lets him burn off some energy, which is always a good thing!
One day, I’m not even sure what Blake was doing, but next thing I knew he was running over to me crying saying he’d fallen off his skateboard. He didn’t have any bruises, but he had whacked his head on the back as he landed. He had a helmet on, which we always argue about, and after a few minutes he seemed fine again and wanted to go back to skating again.
That night, I vaguely remember him mentioning that his head was sore, but he went off to sleep with no issue, and then next day when I asked him about it he was fine. For the next couple of nights, he said his head was sore again, and after the 3rd night in a row, I decided to find someone to help. I searched osteopaths Orewa on Google, and ThreeSixty came up. I called straight away, and the reception lady who helped book us in was really friendly.
Blake was a bit nervous when we went for treatment, and the osteopath asked us both questions to get the full story. Then she had a look at Blake doing some movements with his neck, and put her hands on to see if she could find any of the sore bits. She asked Blake to lie on the couch and gave him a blanket to keep warm. She started telling him jokes as she was treating him, and asked him about school and about his friends.
At the end, she gave me a summary of what she had found and we made a treatment plan together. I saw a difference in Blake, and he had a great sleep that night. He kept asking “mum, when are we going back to the osteo?’ I think he’s going to be disappointed when we don’t need to go back anymore!”
