Somatic dysfunctions in children of the first year of life: features of formation

Abstract

Introduction. The health status of children of the first year of life is primarily affected by the course of pregnancy and childbirth, as well as hereditary factors. During the newborn period, reversible disorders may occur, which can be estimated as somatic dysfunction (SD). The formation of SD in young children has its own causes and features, which have not been studied in detail until now.The goal of research — is to study the features of the osteopathic status in children of the first year of life with different patterns of pregnancy and delivery methods for their mothers.Materials and methods. Since 2015, for 5 years, a prospective multicenter study has been conducted to investigate the osteopathic status of children of the first year of life under a single protocol in 6 cities of Russia, organized by the Institute of Osteopathy (St. Petersburg) and the Department of Osteopathy of Mechnikov North-West State Medical University. A total of 360 full-term infants aged 1 to 12 months with perinatal hypoxic-ischemic lesions of the central nervous system, and practically healthy ones were examined. All children underwent an osteopathic examination, and a detailed history of pregnancy and childbirth was collected. Based on the results of the obstetric history analysis the following groups were selected: physiological course of pregnancy, ending in physiological childbirth through the natural birth canal — 62 people; physiological course of pregnancy, ending with operative delivery — 25 people; physiological course of pregnancy, ending in complicated labor through the natural birth canal — 20 people; pregnancy with complications, ending in physiological childbirth through the natural birth canal — 104 people. Statistical processing of the obtained results was carried out by nonparametric methods using the Statistica 10.0 software.Results. In children born by physiological childbirth with complicated pregnancy, a smaller number of local SD (p=0,04) and a larger number of global SD were detected, but the difference with the subgroup of the pregnancy physiological course did not reach the statistical significance. In children whose mothers had a physiological course of pregnancy, but childbirth proceeded with complications and required the use of obstetric assistance, the significantly more number of regional SD were revealed (p<0,0001) compared with children born in physiological childbirth. The latter had a greater number of local SD of the craniosacral system (p=0,035). In children born by caesarean section and in children born through the natural birth canal without complications, the number of global, regional and local SD did not differ statistically significantly. Osteopathic examination of children in the first year of life showed that the first three places in the structure of dominant SD were occupied by SD of the neck, head, and dura mater.Conclusion. Based on the data obtained as a result of the study, it can be assumed the presence of numerous factors that can lead to the formation of various SD in children of the first year of life during pregnancy and especially during childbirth. It is necessary to further study the features of the osteopathic state in children in the postnatal period.