The body has amazing powers of healing and regeneration. Cranial osteopathy at any age works with the forces of growth and development to guide the body back to its healthy normal function. These forces are at their most vigorous in the early years, so babies and children respond very rapidly to treatment. For this reason osteopaths working with children encourage early treatment, if only as a precaution to check that all is well, especially when there has been an unusually fast or slow delivery, where ventouse or forceps have been necessary or in the case of an unplanned caesarean section.

It is never too early to treat - in fact the younger the better. Treatment to normalise the structure in a newborn can have exceptional results, as at this stage there are no fixed postural problems. However treatment is still very effective up to the age of seven years when the bony skeleton begins to mature. After this, the stresses and asymmetries can often not be completely eliminated, but it is still possible to achieve beneficial release of the stresses throughout life. Problems arising from birth may manifest again during growth spurts, when demands on the tissues are greater. However, as treatment always works with the forces of growth and development, these times are again windows of opportunity for the osteopath.