The Benefits of Massage Therapy for Kids
Your child’s day may be stressful due to school, sports, or technology use. Massage treatment can help manage mental stress, physical tightness, and injury.
Massage therapy can help your child heal faster, relax aching muscles, improve circulation, and relax. Like adults, children can benefit from self-care, and starting early can help them develop a self-care perspective and enjoy the physical benefits of massage as they grow.
This article discusses massage advantages for kids. We recommend seeing your child’s doctor before starting massage treatment, which is safe and effective.
- Bonding while calming
Massage can help children feel comfortable and secure, especially infants as touch is their first sensation. When your child is agitated, has a tantrum, or reacts to a perceived or real threat, their sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activates the “fight or flight” response. Calming activities can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is not fun for anyone, especially children (PSNS).
The PSNS calms, relaxes, and increases circulation. Massage can quickly engage this area of the nervous system and reduce the amount of times it activates during the day.
Since it allows for undivided attention, massage can unite a parent and child. Massage can help youngsters feel more connected, peaceful, and attached, especially in the morning or before night. For instance, a moderate massage before bedtime calms newborns, while older children may benefit from light massage during storytime to settle down.
- Stress and anxiety reduction
Children, like adults, experience stress and anxiety daily. Children can find adapting to the changing surroundings stressful, especially during the pandemic.
Older children with additional responsibilities and new duties may experience stress and anxiety. School, family, and friends can induce stress, anxiety, and physical symptoms.
Stress can cause aches, pains, headaches, impaired immune systems, high blood pressure, and more. Recurring stress responses can also tighten and hurt muscles and joints.
Massage can aid chemically and physically by relaxing muscles, boosting circulation, and releasing tensions. Massage increases brain serotonin and dopamine levels by 30%, which regulate mood and happiness. Stress and anxiety reduction is crucial for Canada’s 1.2 million children and teens with mental illness. An RMT can assist older children manage their mental health via massage.
- Get rid of the “tech-neck”
87% of Canadian parents with children under 12 say their child spends at least one hour a day on a device, while those with children 10–12 say they spend more than two hours. 52% of six-to-eight-year-olds use smartphones daily, while two-thirds of nine-to-12-year-olds do. Video game consoles are very popular, especially among six-to-12-year-olds.
What connects these devices? They threaten “tech neck” in children. Due to the epidemic, kids are at home more and using their devices for remote study. However, poor device posture increases the risk of neck and shoulder pain.
“Tech neck” causes rounded shoulders, neck ache, and back pain. Holding their gadget below eye level strains the neck and surrounding muscles, causing children to sit with their necks down and arched backs. Computer use for school and homework can sometimes cause shoulder pain and tightness.
Massage can target children’s device-strain muscles. Massage can assist children minimize discomfort, posture, and tech neck by reducing stress and promoting circulation in the neck, shoulders, and spine.
- Injuries in sports
As a parent, you may be familiar with the aches and pains your child may experience if they participate in sports. Finding effective treatments for children’s injuries, especially those affecting the muscles and joints, is crucial because contrary to popular belief, children don’t always “bounce back” quickly from trauma.
One form of massage therapy known as “sports massage” is designed to focus specifically on injured areas to promote recovery time. This type of massage is used by many athletes as a means of self-care, either before or after competition. The goal of this massage technique is to stimulate dormant muscle fibers, increase range of motion and strength, and boost overall performance. Teenagers and up can undergo a milder, adapted version.
- Get rid of growing pains
It’s not simply the name of a sitcom from the ’80s; youngsters really can feel uncomfortable as they go through the stages of development that are referred to as “growing pains.” It manifests itself most frequently as a dull ache in the legs, but it also has the potential to cause headaches. Because of the increased stress placed on their musculoskeletal systems, children who engage in activities such as running, climbing, or jumping during the day may find that they experience growing pains more frequently at night. As the name implies, the condition is not always painful; however, some children may experience a greater number of symptoms than others
Massage can be an effective treatment for the aches and pains associated with growing pains. It may be possible to alleviate your child’s discomfort and improve both how he or she feels and how well he or she functions by focusing on the specific muscles and soft tissues that are located in the painful areas.
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