Pediatric Massage: is it effective?

One of the areas of massage that does not get as much attention as it deserves is pediatric, or children’s, massage. In today’s article, we’ll be looking at the benefits of pediatric massage and why it isn’t as widely used as massage therapy in adults.

What Are the Benefits of Massage Therapy for Children?

As a general rule, children derive the same benefits from massage therapy as adults, including: 

• Reduced tension in growing muscles
• Reduced pain
• Increased flexibility
• Maintainance of healthy muscles
• Improved mood
• Reduced fatigue

However, there is an added benefit to massage therapy for growing children as it can help to alleviate so-called growing pains. 

All children between 8 and 16 are more prone to growth-related pain and injuries, due to growth spurts. Bones often grow more rapidly than muscles, putting muscle fibers under strain, causing tightness, pain, and an increased risk of tearing. 

Massage therapy can help to ease this pain and keep the muscles healthy, by increasing blood flow, waste removal, and gently stretching the fibers.

Sports Massage for Children

One area in which children can significantly benefit from massage is after sport. As a rule, school-age children participate in sport to a greater extent than adults and, while this is fantastic for their health, the stress, strain, and potential injury risk associated with sport should be taken as seriously for children as it is for adults.

Sports massage can help children to recover from high- intensity/explosive type exercise, reduce their risk of sports-related injury, and help them to develop the knowledge and experience to avoid bad practices like overtraining. 

Instilling Good Posture

A combination of hours sat at school desks, coupled with significant use of electronic devices can lead to issues with posture in children and young adults. 

The key to preventing neck and back injuries from sitting or using electronic devices is an education in good posture and the awareness of the importance of good core strength to offsets the negative effects of sitting for long periods of time.

Instilling these ideas early can have major knock-on benefits later in life by preventing the back and neck pain issues associated with the modern workplace.

Join One Of The Best Massage Therapy Schools In Las Vegas Today!

At Northwest Career College, we operate one of the best Massage Therapy Schools in Las Vegas, and our Massage Therapy Course will teach you the skills you’ll need to apply the benefits of sports massage. 

The benefits of massage therapy are widely recognized, with employment for massage therapists expected to increase by 22% between 2014-2024, with an average massage therapist earning $39,360 a year. Additionally, many massage therapists maintain active, private practices, increasing both their flexibility and earnings. 

Our massage student clinic is open seven days a week, for both your and your client’s convenience, and we offer day and night classes to accommodate your work and family schedules. 

Our instructors are experienced professionals who will prepare you to sit for either the NCBTMB (National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage) or the MBLEX (Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards) exams, and we are proud of our 100% board pass rate. Call us at (702) 403-1592 to speak to one of our enrollment specialists today!