General relaxing massage for a child with hypertension: features and techniques

How to properly massage a child under one year old

Complex manual effects on the musculoskeletal system and skin are called massage.
Massage procedures stimulate metabolism, improve blood supply to organs and have a beneficial effect on the child’s neuropsychic health. Does a 0-3 month old baby need a massage? This is a question that the pediatrician will answer after examining the baby. Depending on the technique, massage will help normalize muscle tone, correct musculoskeletal disorders and joint deformities. Massage can be preventive and therapeutic (general or local). A visiting nurse will show you how to properly massage a child under one year old. Preventive massage is recommended for all children. And for therapeutic purposes there are certain indications:

malnutrition;
delayed motor development;
congenital hip dislocation, hip dysplasia;
congenital torticollis, clubfoot;
flat-valgus position of the feet, rickets;
perinatal pathology of the nervous system.

A general relaxing massage for a child with hypertension is prescribed by a pediatrician as part of complex treatment. As a rule, massage treatments are complemented by drug therapy and physiotherapy.

Valgus in children: is massage effective?

According to statistics, doctors diagnose foot valgus in childhood quite often. These are far from isolated cases. Although in adults this defect is much more common. In general, the causes and treatment are similar in both cases. But if foot valgus is detected in a child, most often he is prescribed a therapeutic massage. This therapy is very effective. It gives results quickly. Although massage is not so effective for adults.

Causes of hallux valgus in children

Valgus in children occurs for a variety of reasons. But most of them are determined by how the child’s bone apparatus is formed and developed. In an adult, all the bones are strong enough not to be deformed by slight impact. But in childhood, the bone apparatus is not fully formed, and some bones are nothing more than cartilage. They are more vulnerable. It's easy to get a sprain. Although adults also stretch their muscles, they do not stretch them as often as children.

At the same time, an incompletely formed bone apparatus is an advantage. After all, if you have Valgus feet, you can do a massage, and it will show excellent results. Adults will not be able to achieve such a quick effect, again, due to the fact that all the bones are strong and the ligaments are difficult to stretch.

Features of the development of muscles and ligaments in children

In order not to panic and not diagnose foot valgus in each individual case, parents should know that the feet are formed before 3-4 years, and muscles and ligaments - up to 7 years. Therefore, slight deviations before this age are quite normal.

A 3-year-old child's foot may be flat due to the fact that its arch is equipped with a fat pad. If you want to check if this is true or if it is a hallux valgus, have the child stand on a flat, hard surface while you slide your toe under the arch of the foot. If it goes through without difficulty, everything is fine.

How to recognize flat feet?

Foot valgus can be diagnosed independently, at home. But only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis. You, as parents, can only express concerns about the baby’s health. As it became clear from the above, the foot can be flat due to the fat layer. But it happens that Valgus is to blame. You can recognize it as follows:

If you look at the child’s heels from behind, it turns out that they are deviated outward from the lobar line of the shin;
If you look at the first shoe, you will see the backs are crooked and you will also notice that it has been worn unevenly.

Causes of Valgus feet in children

There are many reasons why this defect develops in childhood. According to statistics, 3 of them are the most popular:

Rickets;
Weak muscles and ligaments;
Frequent complications of respiratory infections.

Disease prevention

It is possible to reduce the risk of developing flat feet in childhood. To do this, you must follow a number of rules. You can’t swaddle your baby tightly; it’s better if he has room to move his arms and legs. The same goes for clothes - they should be loose, especially socks and rompers. Give preference to soft shoes if you choose them for a baby under 1 year of age.

In principle, there will be no problems if you follow the pediatrician's recommendations. If you have any suspicions, it is better to immediately show the child to a pediatric orthopedist. The doctor will determine whether abnormalities at this age are normal or abnormal.

Massage for Valgus

If your child has Hallux Valgus, don't despair.
The younger he is, the faster the situation can be corrected. Most often, doctors prescribe therapeutic massage. And rightly so. After all, this method is very effective. The massage is complex. The results become obvious incredibly quickly. In addition to massage, therapy includes water procedures and special gymnastics. Another important point is that in order for flat feet to stop developing, you need to constantly strengthen your immune system. Author: K.M.N., Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences M.A. Bobyr

Contraindications for massage

Despite the beneficial effects of massage on all organs and systems of the baby, as well as the restorative effect on the body as a whole, there are a number of contraindications to its implementation:

diseases in the acute stage, including allergic manifestations;
colds and viral diseases with fever;
congenital heart defects with circulatory failure;
severe rickets and severe dystrophy;
large hernias;
severe diseases of the liver and kidneys, accompanied by impaired organ function;
diseases of the musculoskeletal system with increased bone fragility.

The features of gymnastics for the development of an infant at 6 months will be discussed further.

Massage: where to start, features

Time. Pediatricians recommend performing massage procedures in the first half of the day - from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Massage is done an hour after feeding. Procedures cannot be performed on an empty stomach.

Child's mood. If the baby is not capricious and is in a good mood, massage can be done. In case of whims, dissatisfaction and crying, the procedures should be canceled.

General terms and Conditions. The room where the massage will be performed must be checked and the air warmed. Prepare a horizontal surface by covering it with a diaper. The mother performing the massage must wash her hands and remove jewelry.

Children's speech therapy tongue massage at home is the topic of the next article.

Progress of the massage

At 3 months, the baby is already in excellent eye contact with his parents and responds to their voices, so there should be no problem with the baby lying on his back for 15 minutes. Mom can massage by smiling, saying or singing something.

Stroking. The beginning of any baby massage. The muscles warm up, and the child gets used to intense, continuous manipulation.
Rubbing. Performed with fingertips. For hypertonicity, rubbing the shin in a spiral upward towards the knee will be effective.
Pressure. Allows you to relax your muscles. They are performed with two palms that grip the leg on both sides. From feet to knees.
"Nettle" Very slight twisting of the child's lower leg in different directions. Without effort. Allows you to relieve muscle tension.
Foot massage. The feet are massaged with circular and spiral movements and compressions. You need to knead your feet on both sides: the sole and the instep.
Eight. You can draw this number on any part of your baby’s leg. Each time the pressure increases.
Finger massage. Each toe is gently but thoroughly massaged.
Kneading the toe. The toes are grasped with the entire palm and arched towards and away from the shin.
Shaking. Completing a baby massage session for hypertonic legs. The heel is taken in the hand and the leg is gently shaken. This is done with the baby lying on his back and then on his tummy.

At the end, be sure to praise the baby and reward him with a smile and affection.
The sessions will have to be repeated every day, and the child should associate them with something pleasant, like unity with his mother. Duration of one procedure: 15 minutes. After a month, you can add 5 minutes. If hypertonicity was detected after six months, then massage should be done more often and more intensely. It also includes exercises that the pediatrician will recommend.

Who to trust with massage

If we are talking about preventive massage, then it can be done in a clinic (massage room) or at home (a specially trained children's massage therapist). However, the mother herself can perform massage procedures after some training. A nurse at a healthy child’s office can help her with this, and she will tell you how long it takes to do a children’s medical massage in the clinic.

For children under one year old there are 5 health massage complexes. The first of them is recommended for children under 3 months. The set of procedures includes light stroking of the arms, legs, tummy and back. To the question “is it possible to give a back massage to a one-month-old baby?” the answer will be yes. The back is gently massaged at a distance of 1 cm from the spine. The duration of the massage is no more than 5 minutes. The area of the heart and liver should not be touched.

On our website you will find more detailed information on the topic. If you are concerned about the question “what kind of leg massage is done for hip dysplasia?”, make an appointment with a pediatric orthopedist.

Features of massage for infants:

Only one session can be performed during the day (tummy massage for a newborn baby with colic is done as needed);
the massage is carried out in a well-ventilated room at an air temperature of at least 22°C;
procedures should not be performed after feeding and before bedtime. The interval in this case should be at least 40 minutes;
the younger the baby’s age, the more gentle the massage technique;
you should not massage the area of the liver, kidneys, spine and genitals;
the total massage time is from 5 to 15 minutes in a course of 10 procedures (the duration of drainage massage for children with cough is determined by the pediatrician individually);
It is highly undesirable to interrupt the massage course.

Therapeutic massage for hypertension

A course of massage procedures can reduce excessive tension in the muscles of the legs; correctly performed manipulations will contribute to the correct development of motor function. A one-month-old baby needs to massage his legs for up to 5 minutes, and from the age of seven months, the duration of the procedure is usually 10 minutes.

Foot massage

Massaging a child's lower extremities is especially important as it affects walking function.

You will need to adhere to the following sequence:

The baby's left leg above the ankle area should be placed between the index and middle fingers of the left hand.
Carry out stroking with a smooth movement of the right hand in the direction from the foot to the thigh.
Rub in the same direction with your fingertips using direct and spiral pressure from bottom to top, and then in the opposite direction.
We massage the foot area with stroking and rubbing techniques in the direction from the toes to the heel.
Using pressure from the massage therapist's index finger, a stroke-like effect is applied to the outer surface of the foot. The toes spread out to the sides like a fan.
Kneading the foot is done by drawing a figure eight on the plantar surface and spiraling movements in the direction from the outer surface of the foot to the ankle joint.

Massage of the collar zone for torticollis at home

Indications for such a massage will be pathology of the cervical spine associated with muscles. To carry out massage procedures, an orthopedic pillow and special equipment for the cervical-collar area are used.

Massage in this case is painful, so it is necessary to handle the baby as carefully as possible to avoid unnecessary discomfort. Only a children's massage therapist can perform a neck massage for torticollis at home. The result of massage procedures is normalization of blood circulation in the tissues of the cervical region, improvement of lymph flow, and improvement of the baby’s psycho-emotional state.

Massage of the lacrimal canal in newborns

Massage may be prescribed if the use of drops is ineffective. Massage procedures are carried out 5-6 times a day for two weeks. The recommended time for massage is 20 minutes before feeding. During the procedure, you can use thin sterile gloves. The mother herself will be able to massage the lacrimal duct in newborns after preliminary training.

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