Some adults have experienced the many benefits of regular massage therapy. Let’s consider for a moment that if those same adults had received massage therapy as a young child, how much more benefit might they have received in their lifetime? Why would children need massage anyway? They have no stress and bounce back from falls or illnesses because they can heal faster, right?
Not so fast. Children have many more issues today than in years past. They are diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, depression, digestive disorders and even developmental disorders. Many parents are well intentioned in giving their child individualized attention and attending to their health and academic concerns, yet having the time to care for them through touch can be difficult. Specifically, most parents wouldn’t know where to start in giving their child a massage.
Professional massage therapists have experience with all ages and the different issues that they bring to the various stages of life. Some therapists even specialize in pediatric work or have experience with their own children. So why spend the money on your child when you may not get a regular massage yourself?
A study on the effects of massage therapy in children and adolescents was performed by Tiffany Field at the Touch Research Institute concerning issues of ADHD, sleep disorders, aggression and behavioral disorders. A study of preschoolers with aggressive and deviant behavior was done with 50 children that received a daily massage for 20 minutes compared with a group of 50 children who listened to stories. By the 3rd, 6th and 12th months, the massaged children had lower parent and teacher rated aggression scores on the Child Behavior Checklist, as well as fewer social and somatic problems.
Another study on children with Autism and ADHD were given 15-minute daily massages for a month and showed that there was more attentive behavior in the classroom and fewer sleep problems. The positive outcomes also could be attributed to the increase in attention that they were receiving. Other benefits of massage for children include:
- Help with managing stress and anxiety
- Relaxes and relieves tension
- Feel happier and healthier
- Helps with growing pains
- Reduces acute and chronic pain
- Better sleep
- More attentive and increased alertness
- Helps with digestive issues and colic
- Help increase body awareness and neurological development
- Stimulates immune system
Getting a child on the right track and teaching them healthier ways to manage their emotions, stress, or pain is possible with massage therapy. It can be a non-invasive and acceptable form of care that would pay back in dividends as they get older. Receiving massages has also been known to help reduce the need for opioids or pain relievers, thereby offering your child healthy alternatives that would follow them into adulthood and offer wellness habits that could change their future.
Sources: Field, Tiffany. “Massage Therapy Research Review.” International Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 129, no. 3, 2019, pp. 235-247. National Library of Medicine, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6617372/.