Massage therapy is typically considered a treatment for adults. However, children can benefit from massage therapy in a number of ways. Pediatric massage has shown to be especially beneficial to children undergoing treatment for other health conditions by treating the symptoms of those conditions. Researchers at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center studied massage therapy to children. The children who received massage therapy used less pain medication in post-operative care than the others. This suggests that massage therapy could be useful in children undergoing heart surgery.
Primarily, pediatric massage therapy seems to relieve feelings of fear and anxiety in children struggling with medical treatments which helps them cope better with their conditions. It has also been shown to improve a number of actual conditions, like eczema, chronic headaches, pain from Multiple Sclerosis, and more. In addition, pediatric massage therapy has helped patients suffering from circulatory system conditions, lymphatic and immune system conditions, and more. Along with all of these benefits, massage can also provide children with a better sense of health and well-being, relieving stress and worry from their lives.