I continue to be amazed by the body’s capacity for recovery. The body is capable of a great deal, provided it is addressed in the right way. This is where the strength of osteopathy lies. An osteopath examines and treats the body as a whole, without overlooking any part.
Naturally, any previous diagnosis from other healthcare providers is taken into account during the examination. Nevertheless, an osteopath always approaches the problem with an open and fresh perspective.
Speaking of resilience.
On January 20, I saw a five-and-a-half-year-old girl in the practice for the third time. She visited due to hypersensitivity, an unpleasant pressure in her head, poor sleep, and frequent abdominal pain.
During my examination, I got the impression that the thalamus played a significant role in her symptoms. The thalamus is part of the midbrain and plays a major role in processing incoming stimuli, such as sounds. This structure normally helps to filter out unimportant stimuli. When this process is less effective, many stimuli enter unfiltered. This consumes a lot of energy and can come at the expense of rest, concentration, and sleep.
In my view, this region had become strained due to a head injury at a young age. When I discussed this with her mother, she mentioned that at the age of two, her daughter had fallen forward off a table and landed with her forehead on a stone floor. She remained motionless for a short time afterward, to the point where her mother was about to call emergency services.
I subsequently treated her twice. When she returned for the second time, her mother shared something remarkable. Because she combed her daughter’s hair daily, she knew the shape of her forehead very well. She now noticed that the bump on the forehead seemed to be slowly receding.
It remains fascinating how the body can still show changes, even years later. Especially in young children, the capacity for recovery sometimes seems particularly vast.
Even after all these years, I continue to be amazed by this as an osteopath — and I learn from it every time.
