YOUTH MASSAGE
WHAT IS YOUTH MASSAGE AND WHY CHOOSE IT FOR YOUR CHILD?
Most people still consider getting a massage as a luxury but that couldn’t be any further from the truth, especially when it comes to children. Massage is essential to keep anyone’s body functioning at its best. Most children these days play at least one sport and this is on top of their daily activities at school and at home. Then add on the growing pains many kids experience and their poor little bodies are put through a lot. As a parent to an extremely active seven year old myself, I can’t stress enough how beneficial regular massages have been for my daughter over the years. Yes, you read that right, YEARS! I guess you can say that is one of the benefits of being the child of a massage therapist and I understand not every child has that at their disposal. So why should you start letting your child receive regular massages? Why is it not just a luxury? Is it really appropriate or needed that a child receives regular treatment? The clinical answer is this: receiving regular massage can reduce fatigue and pain from athletics and growing pains, increase flexibility and range of motion, improve circulation, prevent chronic injury, and help in the recovery process after an injury. Massage isn’t only beneficial for the physical aspect; it can also improve quality of sleep, concentration, and decrease stress and anxiety. With all of those things combined your child will not only be able to perform their best during athletics, but also in day to day activities and academics.
Now what would a massage consist of? Is it the same as what an adult would receive? How long does it take? The answer is no, it is not entirely the same as what most adults would receive. Youth massages are much shorter and usually are only a half hour long with 15-20 minutes of actual hands on time. Most kids cannot handle being still and in reality aren’t used to being touched and having their muscles stretched and manipulated (massaged). The age of the child plays a part in how long the hands on part will last because someone who is say 13 or 14 years old is going to understand the whole process a little better than someone who is 7 or 8 years old. As far as what the massage would consist of would be different for each child and depend on that child’s specific needs. I have kids that come to me strictly on a need to need basis. They have minor aches and pains from games and practices. We focus on very specific areas and do light muscle manipulation and maybe some stretching and foam rolling. I have some that come purely as a preventive measure, so they don’t have any specific complaints and their treatment is pretty generalized depending on their activities. The other end of it is when an athlete has injured themselves and needs help in the recovery process. This is when very specific and honestly sometimes uncomfortable treatment comes in. What that treatment is exactly would depend on the injury as a whole: when it occurred, the severity, and what other treatment they have or are receiving. I always take the time to explain exactly what I am going to do and why and am honest about the level of discomfort that may come with the treatment. After each treatment, depending on the reason for the treatment, I also give detailed instructions of what needs to be done outside of my office to increase the benefits of what was done. I have seen great success in all the youth that I have seen so far. From continued decrease in general aches and pains to having an injured athlete (who was 15 years old) returning to play at 100% within three weeks of severely straining his quadriceps muscle.
My question is to you is this, if you knew that there was something out there that is proven to help keep your child feeling their absolute best, why wouldn’t you use it? I am available to answer any questions that this small insight may have brought on and look forward to continuing to educate and share the successes I experience when given the chance to do what I do best.
Janean Fisher
Director of Massage
janeanf@infinitesportsworld.com
