Cerebral Palsy massage treatment

Massage has been shown to be helpful in many conditions including Spastic Cerebral Palsy which is the subject here. It is showing hope in some important physical areas.
In this article, we will review the benefits of massage therapy for those with Spastic Cerebral Palsy. In Sylvia Carlson’s article from February 17, 2007, she discusses the crucial importance of healing touch for health. Sylvia's article is a great starting point for learning about touch in the general population. However, we will be discussing these benefits specifically for Spastic Cerebral Palsy.

For those with Cerebral Palsy, massage in conjunction with stretching, heat therapy and range of motion exercises can provide relief, help prevent contractures, improve range of motion, decrease pain and increase flexibility. Massage in and of itself is not a miracle cure, but, used alongside the traditional physical and occupational therapies, physiotherapy, etc., it is a great help.

Maria Hernandez-Reif and Tiffany Field conducted a study of children with Cerebral Palsy. The participants received 30 minutes of Massage Therapy 2 times per week for 12 weeks. Their findings were promising. The children who received the Massage Therapy showed reduced spasticity; less rigidity in their arms; improved gross and fine motor skills and even improved cognition as well as other improvements.

Hernandez –Reif stated, “These findings suggest that massage therapy attenuates physical symptoms associated with CP, enhances development and should be considered as an early intervention for children with CP.”

As mentioned previously, massage is not a cure for CP. But, ongoing use of massage therapy can reduce the painful symptoms these patients are experiencing. Spasticity does not go away without medicines, tendon lengthenings, etc. But, massage can help decrease it and allow the patient to be more comfortable. This, in turn, allows PT and OT to be more effective and allows for improvement in the patient.

As with any special need, it is important the massage therapist has a thorough understanding of Spastic Cerebral Palsy and how it presents itself in the patient prior to massaging them. Specifically for spastic patients, it is important to learn how to work with the muscle instead of fighting against the tone.

Source - Jennifer Reigar Study

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