Bodywork means what??

It is not uncommon for me to recommend bodywork for my clients. In fact, since I work with a large majority of tongue tie babies, I would say that I recommend bodywork a lot. So what does that mean?

Bodywork mean some form of hands on therapy. The most common I recommend for babies is chiropractic or craniosacral therapy, but it can also be reflexology, working with an osteopath, myofascial release, massage and more. It means a knowledgeable , skilled provider is using their hands, really to help your day heal itself.

Bodyworkers are skilled professionals who understand the structure and functions of the human body and use therapeutic techniques to help their client. Each different types of bodywork has different techniques and different modalities to achieve their goal.

So why do I recommend treatment by a bodyworker? What is the point? Frequently babies are born with areas of tension, sometimes it’s obvious as with torticollis, but other times it’s less obvious- just a baby that is not exhibiting reflexes equally. Part of my normal infant assessment is their whole body. I start at the top of the head and go down to their toes. I check birth reflexes- things that babies are born with intended for survival (many related to feeding). I look at baby’s mouth and how the tongue moves and function, how it works while feeding. Frequently this is where I see dysfunction- when baby’s mouth isn’t functioning properly there will be tension and areas os dysfunction in other areas too.

I have taken a lot of courses in order to understand how reflexes and tension effect feeding and movement, but I am not a bodyworker. I took these classes so that I would understand babies more, understand feeding issues deeper, to get at the root cause so that we can truly find function where there was dyfunction- not just cover it up with a band-aid. I never took these classes to do bodywork myself. I have too much respect for bodyworkers, and the amazing knowledge they have of the body to try and do it after a few hours of classes. Bodyworkers are amazingly skilled and each visit is a chance to heal your body.

I have had chiro (my kids too), and now I am going to try Myofascial before and after my tongue tie release (that will be in another post don’t worry!). Know that whatever modality you chose, it doesn’t matter as much as the hands that delivers the care. Find the best provider you can, most knowledgeable about what you have going on and you won’t be disappointed. Need help finding a bodyworker? I know TONS, comment below or reach out directly.