25/09/2025
In the previous post, we looked into the fact that many studies now show the effectiveness of including some form of osteopathic therapy into neonatal care. This is proven to help preterm infants leave hospital sooner and need lesser medical interventions.
Even still, there is a wide sentiment of concern and fear among parents. This is understandable as osteopathy is all about manual therapy and it can be frightening to imagine a fragile preterm baby undergoing such manipulations.
The truth is, in fact, neonatal osteopathy that is practiced inside the NICU was developed especially for preterm babies, who are usually connected to many machines for their health and monitoring.
In fact, we can say that the gentle touch of osteopathy becomes even more gentle at the hands of an expert neonatal osteopath.
Interestingly, the neonatal model of osteopathy - the official guidelines for practicing osteopathy inside NICU - was developed in Italy, where a lot of the research into neonatal osteopathy also comes from.
Osteopaths are part of the NICU team in many hospitals around the world. We gently understand the details and case history of each baby in the NICU and complement the treatment of the neonatologists.
Neonatal osteopathy has been shown to improve many areas of preterm health, including breathing, digestion and cranial symmetry. As shown in the photos on the post, there are very specific points that a neonatal osteopath will gently manipulate to improve the case.
At the end of the day, it is not the work of one osteopath alone that will make or break the situation for preterm infants and their parents. It is in fact the collaborative team effort of all the medical staff, including the osteopath, with the shared goal of providing the best possible care for each NICU baby.
What about you? Did you ever hear of NICU osteopathy? Tell me in the comments ⬇️
Dr. Emmanuel Hartmann ~ Pediatric Osteopath Dubai
📍 .helena_taylor_clinic
📲 +971 52 8269454 (WhatsApp)
