Pediatric massage is the complementary and alternative treatment that uses

massage therapy Massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In Eu ...

, or "the manual manipulation of soft tissue intended to promote health and well-being" for children and adolescents. Its goal is to reduce pain, anxiety, loneliness and fear when children are hospitalized or diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition. Pediatric massage therapy takes into consideration each child's individual physical development,

cognitive development Cognitive development is a field of study in neuroscience and psychology focusing on a child's development in terms of information processing, conceptual resources, perceptual skill, language learning, and other aspects of the developed adult bra ...

and health care needs.

Special Precautions

Massage therapists practice hands-on therapeutic techniques to address a variety of medical and non-medical concerns for patients. As with all massage specialties, advanced training matters. Special precautions should be taken due to the patient’s vulnerability, both physically and emotionally, and to minimize risk and discomfort to the patient. Children may have apprehension relating to touch due to their medical treatments.

Evidence

Infant massage

Infant massage is a type of complementary and alternative treatment that uses massage therapy for human infants. This therapy has been practiced globally, and has been increasingly used in Western countries as a treatment for infants, though the scientific evidence supporting its use is limited. Research into the effectiveness of massage therapy on full term infants has found some tentative evidence for some benefits such as gross motor skills, fine motor skills and psychomotor development, though the evidence is not strong enough to recommend universally, and more research is needed. Research in pre-term infants and

low birth weight Low birth weight (LBW) is defined by the World Health Organization as a birth weight of an infant of or less, regardless of gestational age. Infants born with LBW have added health risks which require close management, often in a neonatal inten ...

infants have found weak evidence that massage might improve weight gain, but these results are based on possibly biased studies and therefore no recommendation can be made for universal use.

Non-infant pediatric massage

*Reduced anxiety and tension *Reduced pain *Improved long-range emotional and cognitive development *Improved healing/immune function *Relaxation for the parent/caregiver and baby/child *Improved gastrointestinal functioning/relief of gas and constipation *Improved sleep patterns *Increased parent-child bonding (when parent administered) *Increased confidence in parenting skills (when parent administered) *Improved focus and attention span Research shows that massage therapy can ease both physical symptoms as well as emotional discomforts associated with pediatric medical conditions. The Touch Research Institute at the

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School of Medicine is a primary medical research provider for massage and touch therapy, including pediatric massage and

infant massage Infant massage is a type of complementary and alternative medicine, complementary and alternative treatment that uses massage therapy for babies. Evidence is insufficient to support its use in either full term or preterm babies to achieve physical ...

. Pediatric massage also can help manage chronic conditions such as

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

by providing relaxation and reducing muscle tone in the chest, back and neck,

nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. While not painful, it can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the ...

constipation Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the bowel movement ...

and muscle aches ( myalgia). Immediately after receiving massage, children with mild to moderate

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notice decreased anxiety and stress hormone (cortisol) levels. For young patients with

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inapp ...

, 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 Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...

Limitations in research

Like many other

complementary and alternative medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and al ...

modalities, many research studies reporting benefit from pediatric massage have been small in scale and vulnerable to

bias Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group, ...

. Comprehensive medical reviews of the existing pediatric massage research reinforce the benefits, but ask for larger-scale, scientifically rigorous studies. Physicians are recommended to educate themselves and their patients about the empirically validated benefits and precautions associated with pediatric massage.Beider S, Mahrer NE, Gold JI. "Pediatric massage therapy: an overview for clinicians" ''Pediatr Clin North Am.'' 2007 Dec;54(6):1025-41; xii-xiii. Review.

References

{{Reflist , 30em Massage therapy

Massage Massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In Eu ...