This is advice heard by many parents as soon as they leave the maternity ward: take your baby to the osteopath. But are these consultations really useful? And are they still safe?
Osteopathy is extremely popular in France. In 2021, more than 25,000 practitioners were identified by the IGAS, which makes France the country with the highest number of osteopaths per capita.
Some of them specialize in caring for babies. This is the case of this osteopath who is very popular on social networks: his videos can generate millions of views.
We attended one of his consultations. That day, he received a one-month-old baby who had a stomach ache.
They explain : “We’re going to play a little bit with him, we’re going to do a little bit of pedal boating. We can lift our legs a little bit, we’re not going to lift hard… It’s very light.”
This is the 2nd time this mother has brought her baby here. She comes back because she claims to have seen a real change: “Coming out of here, it was a different baby, more relieved, much calmer.”
Kiss syndrome, a very specific reason for consultation
In France, osteopathy has been regulated for around twenty years.
But osteopaths are not officially considered health professionals and their consultations are not reimbursed by social security.
On their sites, osteopaths list the reasons for consultation for babies, which are very numerous:
-Flat skull
-Digestion
-Ear infections
And some add a very particular reason:
-KISS syndrome.
According to them, this syndrome is characterized by repeated crying and an arched posture, which are linked to a blockage in the neck.
On the networks, the existence of this syndrome is widely reported.
“I keep thinking that it could be KiSS that brings together all of my daughter’s problems”, writes a mother on Facebook.
Some osteopaths claim to be able to put an end to this syndrome by manipulating babies’ necks. Sometimes impressive manipulations as you will see in these images filmed by Belgian television.
Osteopaths specializing in Kiss syndrome
In France, certain osteopaths have specialized in the treatment of this pathology.
This is the case of this firm, which did not respond to our requests. So we went there with a hidden camera. We present ourselves alone, like a parent looking for advice. We explain that our child cries a lot and suffers from a stiff neck.
When we talk about Kiss syndrome, these osteopaths recommend that we not only consult our pediatrician.
“In any case, you have to go see people other than your pediatrician. Whether it’s us or another osteopath, you need another opinion.”
an osteopath specialized in KISS syndromeat the Eye of 8 p.m.
Osteopaths explain that in the case of Kiss syndrome, it will take 3 sessions at 120 euros each to make it disappear. It’s twice as good as a traditional consultation. They add “We can tell you if it is actually stuck in the cervico-occipital hinges. It’s mechanical so once we’ve released [les bébés], it’s better. “
A delay in diagnosis
Ornella Blanc-Monaldi followed this protocol for her daughter Manon when she was 6 months old.
Concerned by a lot of crying and a lack of appetite, she discovered KISS syndrome on the internet, and made an appointment with a specialized osteopath.
The diagnosis is formal: “He completely assured us that it was Kiss syndrome, and he noted it in the health record”
On the advice of this osteopath, she then canceled all the medical examinations planned at the hospital for her daughter, in particular an MRI and a lumbar puncture.
We listened to him because from the first appointment, he confirmed and told us that our daughter had Kiss syndrome, so we prefer to hear that than to hear a neurologist who says “we don’t yet know what your child has. ”
Ornella Blanc-Monaldiat the Eye of 8 p.m.
Medical examinations, rescheduled a few months later, will show that Manon is in fact suffering from a rare genetic disease, a mitochondrial disease, which prevents her from being independent. Her mother has since founded the “Manon Coeur de Lion” association.
According to Ornella Blanc-Monaldi, these osteopathy sessions led to a delay in diagnosis. All this for a syndrome that doesn’t exist.
A syndrome that doesn’t exist
Because KISS syndrome has never been demonstrated by any study… as Christèle Gras-Leguen, spokesperson for the French Pediatric Society, explains to us.
Kiss syndrome is a sham, you won’t find it in any medical book. We are in a disease invented based on symptoms which are extremely common in a toddler. A toddler cries, squirms, screams, has atypical movements.
Prof. Christèle Gras-Le Guenat the Eye of 8 p.m.
The osteopathic unions themselves assure that this pathology has no scientific basis. On the other hand, they claim that osteopathy can relieve babies for other ailments.
“Osteopathy helps restore mobility in the baby, give him confidence in movement, modulate pain [et] muscle tone”, ensures the Osteopathy Unit.
Pediatric osteopathy, “not recommended” by the HAS
So what are the official recommendations?
The High Health Authority almost never mentions pediatric osteopathy in its care recommendations for children.
She only mentions it for cranial deformation problems in infants. And here is what she says:“A pediatric-oriented osteopathic approach can be combined with physiotherapy as a second intention”.
But the HAS specifies: “scientific data does not allow us to recommend osteopathy”.
Contacted by telephone, the High Authority of Health reaffirms that it does not recommend osteopathy for babies.
Among our sources:
The IGAS report
RTBF’s report on KISS syndrome
The Manon Coeur de Lion association
HAS recommendations