Co-ordination and Balance Problems in Children

Co-ordination and balance are achieved by the correct functioning and integration of the following body systems - nervous system, eyes, ear & vestibular (balance) system, and musculo-skeletal system. These systems develop slowly from birth and are fine tuned through trial and error.
Problems in any of these systems may result in poor maturation of balance & co-ordination, with difficulty in performing simple and more complex actions and an increased risk of injury.

Osteopaths often notice that children suffering with co-ordination & balance issues have concurrent musculo-skeletal asymmetries eg. a shorter leg, pelvic unlevelling, spinal curvatures, foot problems etc. with changes in the orientation of the head to the neck and spine, and changes in the orientation of the limbs to the trunk.

Gentle Osteopathic treatment to rebalance these areas can be very helpful and is commonly used in conjunction with other therapeutic approaches eg. Neuro Developmental Therapy.