Infant and Pediatric Massage Therapy

All adults can benefit from a good massage therapy treatment every now and again, did you know babies do as well?  Babies often find a gentle laying on of hands to be  very relaxing and there are many therapeutic effects. The reason for that is of all their five senses, touch is the one that’s most developed at birth. Recent research suggests that infant massage has tremendous benefits for helping babies grow and thrive.  Infant massage help ease your baby’s digestive  troubles, teething pains, boost their muscle development and helps them to sleep with more regularity.

If you’re infant has trouble with gas, constipation, colic, teething, and congestion. They can benefit from a massage therapy treatment.

An Infant massage therapy treatment can help a baby to sleep longer and more deeply, can increases a baby’s body awareness, can stimulate circulation,  aid in digestion,  improve their sensory awareness, helps babies relax and release  emotional stress as well as promotes growth and development of the brain and nervous system.  A massage therapy treatment can greatly benefit children with special needs.

Preterm infants are at risk for developing bone disease and bone fractures due to the limited formation of bone mass in utero and to limited activity.

“Massage therapy has led to weight gain in preterm infants when moderate pressure massage was provided. In studies on passive movement of the limbs, preterm infants also gained significantly more weight, and their bone density also increased. In early studies  a 15-minute massage therapy protocol, three times per day, for ten days resulted in 21-47% greater weight gain than standard care alone. Examination of the daily weight gain curves across the 10-day treatment period revealed that the massaged infants exhibited greater weight gain than the control infants as early as day 5 in the 10-day study, suggesting that 5 days of massage might be sufficient to increase weight gain. In a study assessing the shorter time period, preterm infants receiving only 5 days of massage therapy gained 48% more weight than control infants”   (Field et al. 1986; Scafidi et al., 1990; Wheeden et al., 1993)

Pediatric massage is the “the manual manipulation of soft tissue intended to promote health and well-being” for children and adolescents. It can  reduce pain and anxiety in children with a debilitating medical condition. Pediatric massage therapy takes into consideration each child’s individual physical development,cognitive development and heath care needs.

Recent research studies  shows that massage therapy can ease both physical symptoms as well as emotional discomforts associated with pediatric medical conditions. Pediatric massage therapy treatment can also can help manage chronic conditions such as asthma by providing relaxation and reducing muscle tone in the respiratory  muscles of chest,  midback and neck.  Nausea and constipation  by addressing the muscle of the abdomen and G.I tract. Myalgia -which is chronic muscle soreness by providing a relaxing general relaxation massage.

”Immediately after receiving massage treatment, children with mild to moderate juvenile rheumatoid arthritis  notice decreased anxiety and stress hormone (cortisol) levels.For young patients with autism or ADHD, pediatric massage has been found to reduce their aversion to touch, while increasing their ability to focus. Pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis report feeling less anxious, and their ability to breathe and pulmonary functions improved. Pediatric massage was also found to have benefit in relieving post traumatic stress disorder.“

(Field, T., Lasko, D., Mundy, P., Henteleff, T., Talpins, S., & Dowling, M. (1986). Autistic children’s attentiveness and responsitivity improved after touch therapy. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 27, 329-334.)