New Moon Body Work and Botanicals
616 East Charles Street
104
La Plata, MD 20646
More Complementary & Integrative Healthcare Articles
Massage For Children and Teenagers
Children and teenagers have much to gain from regular massage, including relief from sports-related injuries, stress management, and body awareness.
Sports-related injuries in children are very common. Kids are getting involved in sports at a younger age, and their unbridled enthusiasm at times can lead to injuries. The ligaments and tendons of a younger person are softer by nature, to support the process of bone growth. Ligaments serve to support the surrounding joints, and should be firm and tight by adulthood. Small tears to these ligaments will ultimately weaken this structure and make it more susceptible to injuries throughout life, which is where massage therapy comes in. Cross fiber friction to the joints can help address these problems, followed by Swedish and deep tissue massage to nourish the muscle fibers and promote elasticity of the muscles. Arnica gel applied topically can be very helpful as a post-event therapy, to reduce swelling and facilitates the healing of bruises and other trauma.
Children and young adults experience stress on a daily basis and deal with it differently than adults, as they don't have the coping skills or freedom of adults. Digestive complaints, anger or irritability, exasperation of existing conditions like asthma, and skin breakouts may be some of the signs of a child under stress. Massage is a very relaxing therapy, which decreases cortisol levels that can fuel inflammation. Massage promotes deeper breathing, as well as all the other nourishing aspects of the para-sympathetic nervous system. The deep state of relaxation experienced during a massage can also serve as a template that reminds one of the inherent capabilities to feel at peace. Regular massage will further enhance one's ability to return to this state in a more effortless manner.
As adults we often know our posture is poor and yet we continue to slump back into old habits because it is what we are familiar with. Children and young adults haven't ingrained themselves so deeply into these postural patterns and often a few minor corrections and tips will easily create more easeful patterns. As they are naturally more flexible and malleable, these changes come more easily to kids. For teenagers experiencing the throes of self-consciousness, massage can be a valuable therapy to boost their self-esteem. The nurturing aspect of massage instills the message that their bodies are to be cared for and respected. The act of careful draping in a massage establishes boundaries and helps them to fully relax in session.
