How is Craniofacial Therapy applied?
Craniofacial therapy can help with all oro-facial dysfunctions, whether the causes are congenital or acquired, due to a disease or an accident. Craniofacial therapy is never performed alone. It is always determined in collaboration between the patient, the therapist and, if necessary, the physician, pediatrician, otolaryngologist, maxillofacial surgeon, orthodontist, psychologist, speech therapist, physiotherapist, or others.
Craniofacial therapy perceives the individual as a whole and therefore cannot function alone.
What you need to know
The body needs time and care to break old habits and patterns, overcome trauma, learn new movements to recover. Changes in all of the above areas require patience.
Age-dependent therapy
Infants
Your environment is incorporated into the therapy whenever possible.
Children
Craniofacial therapy is beneficial in all cases where children cannot give up their pacifiers, thumbs or other bad habits that interfere with the growth of the jaw and the correct position of the teeth (milk or permanent) and tongue.
It is also indicated when speech problems occur alongside or at the beginning of speech therapy treatment. The therapist’s view is comprehensive and a child cannot make progress in speech if his body is not properly aligned and his posture is not tightened. The craniofacial therapist works on posture and musculature and may collaborate with a speech therapist.
Writing, reading and concentration problems can also be due to poor posture and lack of tone or eye convergence.
The therapist also works on the swallowing pattern, which needs to transition from the infantile swallowing pattern to the adult pattern. If infantile swallowing persists, the entire digestive system may be disrupted. The mouth is the first stage of digestion. Chewing and swallowing – actions that seem insignificant when they are functioning – are important to our health.
Craniofacial therapy is also an aid in rehabilitation in the maxillofacial area.
The child and his environment are involved in the therapy. No results without cooperation!
Find certified therapists here:
Adolescents
It is the age when the discovery and development of one’s own personality, the formation of social contacts come first. Craniofacial therapy is often a good complement to dental treatment to stabilize the posture and thus consolidate the work of the orthodontist to avoid relapses. The therapy takes place in collaboration with the orthodontist. The adolescent has to do his part of the work. Good results can only be achieved with his active participation in the treatment.
Adolescence is not the most restful age for the body, the posture of teenagers puts the back and neck to the test!
In the last picture, the actual load on the spine corresponds to the weight of an 8-year-old child!
Source: Hansraj, KK, (2014) Assessment of cervical spine loads by posture and position of the head, PMID:25393825.
Reproduced with kind permission of K. Hansraj, MD, New York.
Adults
It is very important to discover the main cause of the disorders or pain. It cannot be excluded that the posture of the person is responsible for chronic pain for which no explanation could be found so far.
Poor ergonomics at the workplace can also lead to chronic pain, such as migraine or back pain.
