Infant massage is a type of complementary and alternative treatment that uses massage therapy for babies. Evidence is insufficient to support its use in either full term or preterm babies.[1][2]
History
Ayurvedic medicine in ancient India taught the use of infant massage.[3] It was also has been encouraged in China during the Qing dynasty.[4] At present it is part of traditional childcare in South Asia and elsewhere where daily massage by mothers is seen as "instilling fearlessness, hardening bone structure, enhancing movement and limb coordination, and increasing weight".[5] Other areas where infant massage is regularly used are African countries and areas in the former Soviet Union. In Western culture, infant massage has been increasingly used in neonatal intensive care units for pre-term infants who are in stressful environments and have limited tactile stimulation.[2]
Research
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[6] 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?([6]) 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.[1] A 2004 Cochrane review looking at massage therapy for pre-term and low birth weight was insufficient to justify its use.[2]
Proposed mechanisms
Various mechanisms have been proposed as to suggest how massage therapy might benefit infants. For pre-term infants, it has been suggested that any weight gain may be due to improved metabolic efficiency or by reducing the adverse reaction of stress through decreasing stress behavior or stress hormones.[2] Other possible mechanisms include increased vagal activity and secretion of insulin and gastrin as well as improved parent-infant relationships.[1]
Safety
Reviews of the literature have found no significant risks for adverse events with massage theory with either full term or pre-term infants.[1][2] 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 skin barrier function, while integrity and permeability while other oils that are linoleate-enriched such as sunflower seed oil may improve them.[1][7]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Bennett, Cathy; Underdown, Angela; Barlow, Jane (2013-04-30). "Massage for promoting mental and physical health in typically developing infants under the age of six months". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (4): CD005038. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005038.pub3. ISSN 1469-493X. PMID 23633323.
- ^ a b c d e Vickers A, Ohlsson A, Lacy JB, Horsley A (2004). Vickers A (ed.). "Massage for promoting growth and development of preterm and/or low birth-weight infants". Cochrane Database Syst Rev (2): CD000390. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD000390.pub2. PMID 15106151.
- ^ Johari H. (1996). Ayurvedic Massage: Traditional Indian Techniques for Balancing Body and Mind. Inner Traditions Bear and Company. ISBN 978-0-89281-489-3
- ^ Furth C. (1987). Concepts of Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Infancy in Ch'ing Dynasty China. Journal of Asian Studies, 46:7-35. JSTOR 2056664
- ^ Reissland, N; Burghart, R (1987). "The role of massage in south Asia: child health and development". Social Science & Medicine. 25 (3): 231–9. doi:10.1016/0277-9536(87)90226-7. PMID 3629298.
- ^ a b Porreca, Alessio; Parolin, Micol; Bozza, Giusy; Freato, Susanna; Simonelli, Alessandra (17 January 2017). "Infant Massage and Quality of Early Mother–Infant Interactions: Are There Associations with Maternal Psychological Wellbeing, Marital Quality, and Social Support?". Frontiers in Psychology. 7. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.02049.
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Material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution License.
- ^ Mullany, LC; Darmstadt, GL; Khatry, SK; Tielsch, JM (2005). "Traditional Massage of Newborns in Nepal: Implications for Trials of Improved Practice". Journal of tropical pediatrics. 51 (2): 82–6. doi:10.1093/tropej/fmh083. PMC 1317296. PMID 15677372.
