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[[File:Babymassage.jpg|thumb|Infant massage]]
'''Infant massage''' is a type of [[complementary and alternative medicine|complementary and alternative treatment]] that uses [[massage therapy]] for babies. Evidence is insufficient to support its use in either full term or preterm babies to achieve physical growth.<ref name=Cat2013/><ref name = Vickers/>
==History==
==Research==
A 2013 [[Cochrane review]] of massage therapy for babies less than 6 months of age who were born at term found that the evidence was insufficient to support its use.<ref name=Cat2013>{{Cite journal| lastlast1=Bennett| firstfirst1=Cathy|last2=Underdown|first2=Angela|last3=Barlow|first3=Jane|date=2013-04-30|title=Massage for promoting mental and physical health in typically developing infants under the age of six months|journal=The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |volume=2013 |issue=4|pages=CD005038|doi=10.1002/14651858.CD005038.pub3|issn=1469-493X|pmid=23633323 |pmc=8078453}}</ref> A 2004 Cochrane review looking at massage therapy for pre-term and low birth weight was insufficient to justify its use.<ref name = Vickers>{{cite journal |vauthors=Vickers A, Ohlsson A, Lacy JB, Horsley A |title=Massage for promoting growth and development of preterm and/or low birth-weight infants |journal=Cochrane Database Syst Rev |volume= |issue=2 |pages=CD000390 |year =2004 |volume=2004 |pmid=15106151 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD000390.pub2 |url= |editor1-last=Vickers |editor1-first=Andrew |pmc=6956667 }}</ref> ▼There has been an increasing amount of research being done regarding infant massage. With many variables, this research can lead to some conflicting evidence. A [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5239787/#__sec22title 2017 study from the University of Padua<ref name="AutoCK-4">{{cite journal |last1=Porreca |first1=Alessio |last2=Parolin |first2=Micol |last3=Bozza |first3=Giusy |last4=Freato |first4=Susanna |last5=Simonelli |first5=Alessandra |title=Infant Massage and Quality of Early Mother–Infant Interactions: Are There Associations with Maternal Psychological Wellbeing, Marital Quality, and Social Support? |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |date=17 January 2017 |volume=7 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2016.02049}} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution License.</ref> notes on the subject of some studies showing positive interactions, some showing negative and some showing an absence of interaction, "This incongruence could be due to many methodological reasons, such as different samples, the different periods when the measures were administered as well to the use of different kinds of measures (observational vs. self-report)."
This same 2017 study titled ''Infant Massage and Quality of Early Mother–Infant Interactions: Are There Associations with Maternal Psychological Wellbeing, Marital Quality, and Social Support?''(<REF name="AutoCK-4"/>) shows multiple positive attributes:
* "A significant increase in child responsiveness was recorded"
* "An increase of maternal sensitivity and child responsiveness"
* "Suggest the usefulness of infant massage for the strengthening and the enhancement of early healthy adult–child interactions"
* "It could help the dyad to face the need of mutual adjustment, facilitating regulatory processes and the establishment of sleep-wake cycles"
▲A 2013 [[Cochrane review]] of massage therapy for babies less than 6 months of age who were born at term found that the evidence was insufficient to support its use.<ref name=Cat2013>{{Cite journal|last=Bennett|first=Cathy|last2=Underdown|first2=Angela|last3=Barlow|first3=Jane|date=2013-04-30|title=Massage for promoting mental and physical health in typically developing infants under the age of six months|journal=The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews|issue=4|pages=CD005038|doi=10.1002/14651858.CD005038.pub3|issn=1469-493X|pmid=23633323}}</ref> A 2004 Cochrane review looking at massage therapy for pre-term and low birth weight was insufficient to justify its use.<ref name = Vickers>{{cite journal |vauthors=Vickers A, Ohlsson A, Lacy JB, Horsley A |title=Massage for promoting growth and development of preterm and/or low birth-weight infants |journal=Cochrane Database Syst Rev |volume= |issue=2 |pages=CD000390 |year=2004 |pmid=15106151 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD000390.pub2 |url= |editor1-last=Vickers |editor1-first=Andrew}}</ref>
==Proposed mechanisms==
==Safety==
Reviews of the literature have found no significant risks for adverse events with massage theory with either full term or pre-term infants.<ref name=Cat2013 /><ref name=Vickers/> One study found that the use of certain oils in traditional societies such as [[mustard oil]] or [[olive oil]] might adversely affect pre-term newborn [[human skin|skin]] barrier function, while integrity and permeability whileusing other oils that are [[linoleate]]-enriched such as [[sunflower seed oil]] may improve themthe integrity and permeability of the skin.<ref name=Cat2013 /><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Mullany | first1 = LC | last2 = Darmstadt | first2 = GL | last3 = Khatry | first3 = SK | last4 = Tielsch | first4 = JM | title = Traditional Massage of Newborns in Nepal: Implications for Trials of Improved Practice | journal = Journal of tropicalTropical pediatricsPediatrics | volume = 51 | issue = 2 | pages = 82–6 | year = 2005 | pmid = 15677372 | pmc = 1317296 | doi = 10.1093/tropej/fmh083 }}</ref>
==See also==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Infants and their care}}
[[Category:Babycare]]
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