Massaging children

Massage isn't just limited to adults. Children can benefit greatly from receiving massages, and this is true from infancy and throughout all their lives. It's beneficial for their sense of self and knowing their body, for knowing and learning to express what they like and dislike. It bonds parents and infant in a loving way and touch fulfils a very basic need that we all have.

It doesn't take much to massage a child or infant. Just your hands and perhaps some natural oil without any additives. Any oil you'd eat can be used. I personally prefer safflower, almond or jojoba oil for massage. Do not add any essential oils to the massage oil unless you know aromatherapy. Children have much more delicate systems than adults and what might be good for us can cause them discomfort or harm.

As a rule of thumb, be gentle when you massage an infant. Let it be a soft touch and not a massage as you know it from yourself. As the child grows older and their muscles and bones are developed, deeper massage strokes can be utilized.

Always listen to what the child says. If it hurts or tickles, ease the pressure instantly and make sure you actively communicate with the child about what you're doing. Always heed their feelings and err on the side of caution. Especially with very small children, their bones are not yet fully developed and no stronger than we can break them if we press too hard.

Studies done on school children shows how children benefit from learning to massage each other. They gain greater respect for their classmates and learn to say stop when something is uncomfortable. Some schools in Sweden has implemented massage and bodywork as part of the schedule, and the children thrive.

If you want to learn how to give your child(ren) a good massage, please don't hesitate to attend one of the infant massage classes which can be found practically everywhere. Often the course is a workshop lasting a day or week-end.

It is a pleasure to massage your child, and as they become more independent, they'll begin to demand massages from you. My four year old requests foot massages practically every day when we sit together in the sofa. It's a great way to spend some time together and talk about the day.

Breathing

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When you use the chest instead of with the stomach (diaphragm) to breathe, you can cause trigger points and tensions the upper chest and back. This can result in headaches, numbness and pains in chest, arm, shoulder and hand.

For instance the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome can be caused by tensions and trigger points in some of the muscles which lift the chest (scalenes). The tensions can come from something as simple as a bad cold which makes you breathe differently.

Breathing with the chest is for many a habit that they don't think about. For people who suffers from asthma, illnesses which makes them cough, emotional tension and hyperventilation are all prone to trigger points in the scalenes and in the sternocleidomastoid. Sports and activities which makes you breathe quickly can cause trigger points as well, due to the effort of breathing.

The muscles primarily affected by poor breathing techniques are the sternocleidomastoid, the scalenes and serratus anterior. Trigger points found in the sternocleidomastoid is one of the main reasons for headaches, as described in my article Dealing with headaches. From the scalenes comes pain and numbness in the shoulder, arm and hand, as well as upper back and back pains. Pain from the serratus anterior is felt in the side and at the lower edge of the shoulder blade.

When you breathe correctly, the stomach is moving in and out and the chest barely rises. The lower in your stomach you draw your breath, the better. It will take conscious effort for a couple of weeks before you will begin to breathe automatically with your stomach.

Please make the effort to teach yourself to breathe with your stomach. It can prevent a range of issues, and it's good for your health, your stress and general well-being.

Massage tips for you

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We often want to give a friend or a loved one a massage that'll help them deal with a current soreness, or merely make them relax and feel good. Not everybody can take classes in massage, though finding a brief class to teach you basic techniques for a good back rub is advised. Below I've listed some tips and tricks to give a good back rub, which you hopefully will find useful.

Tips to giving a good back rub:

• Don't be afraid to touch, use your entire hand to massage with. When you use the entire hand to touch with it's more relaxing and pleasant, it shows you have confidence and enjoy giving touch. A light touch, or partial touch can be tickling. It's good to give a proper touch and have full contact when you start a massage and it can be very relaxing and soothing on its own.
• Be attentive and sensitive, pay attention to the reactions and try to feel all details in the muscles. The more attentive you are, the better a massage you give. A back rub should never hurt and you can instantly feel on the muscles if you press too hard. They will tense up. It requires focus and concentration in the beginning, but becomes second nature with practice.
• When you feel a knot, slowly stroke/press it with a fingertip, thumb, palm or knuckle, 5-10 times until it loosens. Often it doesn't take that much effort to release a tight knot. Never overdo it and if it doesn't release after 5-10 slow strokes, then let it be and return to it at a later time. Over stimulation of knots can cause harm, so try to limit yourself there.
• Make sure the room is warm and comfortable when nude, freezing makes the muscles tense up and isn't relaxing. You want the massage to be a pleasant experience, so also make sure you are comfortable with the temperature. Should the one you massage feel cold, cover them with a big towel or a sheet. When people relax they often tend to feel the cold more.
  
• Use a mat or folded blankets on the floor, the bed is too soft. When you receive a massage on a soft surface, the pressure is going to be adsorbed by what you're lying on instead of going into the muscles.
• Wear loose clothing. It's important when you give a massage that you're comfortable and can easily move around. You should be able to focus on the one you massage and not how you feel.
• Ensure that the massage oil is warmed in your hands before applying it. There's nothing more shocking than cold massage oil when you feel all relaxed. Make sure the oil has the same temperature as the skin of the one you massage to make it a pleasant experience. Also, avoid using too much massage oil. Just use enough that you can glide over the skin without pulling it or hair on it.
• Move slowly. It's always better to massage slowly instead of quickly. Too sudden strokes and pressures can feel painful. A slow stroke is very sedating and relaxing, while a brisk quick stroke is energizing and awakening. Think of the purpose of the massage when you consider the strokes applied.
• Soft music and turn of the phone. Make sure there are no disturbances and the environment is pleasant. Soft slow music can make people relax and float away, while quick rhythmic music will wake people up and energize them. Make music and the speed of the strokes match.
• Work only on muscles and avoid bones or areas with a pulse. It's generally safe to massage muscles as long as you're careful and make sure you don't cause pain. Massing on bones is generally unpleasant and painful and won't serve any purpose in a good back rub situation. Anything with a pulse should be avoided. Veins and arteries can in worst case be damaged, in best case you might make the person faint or an arm tingle.
• Start with long soft strokes, go deeper and end soft again. Long soft strokes are good to make the person relax and prepare him or her for the massage. When the person is relaxed, then you can work in more detail and deeper on the muscles. Don't forget to say good bye to the area you've massaged by ending on a soft slow stroke again. The soft slow strokes should feel like a firm caress, not massaging the muscles, but with full contact to the skin, expressing confidence and enjoyment.

Most important of all, make sure you both enjoy what you are doing and that you trust each other. A massage can be done both fully clothed (without massage oil) and partially undressed. There is no need to remove more clothes than from the areas which will be massaged and keeping a towel or sheet nearby to cover can be useful.

Do you have any tips to giving a good back-rub, or have you any experiences you'd like to share? Leave a comment below.

Dealing with headaches

Many headaches are caused by tensions in the muscles, especially those which seem impossible to get rid of. They're caused by tensions in the muscles of the neck, and sometimes also from upper back and even jaw-muscles. Research has shown a clear connection between active trigger points and various headaches, the location of the headache indicating where the guilty trigger point or points are.

There are good news though. Headaches caused by trigger points and muscle tensions can be treated and cured by yourself. All it takes is knowing a bit of massage technique and knowing where to apply it. Below I'll explain how to find trigger points in the two muscles which most often cause those headaches.

Trigger points in muscles tend to refer pain to other places, and in the case of headaches, the trigger points are not found in the head, but in the muscles of the neck, including the trapezius. Trigger points causing headaches are often located in the trapezius and the sternocleidomastoid, and massaging and squeezing these trigger points can relieve most headaches caused by muscular tensions. It's worth trying before taking painkillers. Another important point is that by releasing trigger points you deal with the cause of the headache instead of just treating the symptoms. Of course, you should also take into consideration how you use your body to avoid trigger points from emerging again.

The first muscle to check is the sternocleidomastoid, which is an easy muscle to spot. It's the muscle used to turn the head and it becomes very visible when you tighten your neck or lift the head from a pillow. It's that noticeable muscle that goes from just behind your ear, across your neck to the chest, ending where the sternum and collarbones meet. This muscle can be grabbed between thumb and two fingertips, much like a pincer would. You can also roll the muscle between your fingertips to get a better grip around it and help find the trigger points.

Start at the top of the muscle, just behind your ear and squeeze. Slowly work your way down the muscle until you come to sore or tender areas. Once you reach such an area try to feel for "knots". Slowly press on these knots and use a short stroke as if you squeeze liquid out of it. Do some 8-10 such strokes before moving onwards to the next sore point. Don't be surprised if there are several points. There are three main trigger point areas in the sternocleidomastoid, at the top, middle and bottom.

You will likely be able to feel your headache reproduced when you squeeze on the trigger point. The pain can refer to the forehead, eyebrow area, around the ear, back of the head, top of the head and even the chin. If you feel the referred pain, then you know for certain that you've found and are treating an active trigger point.

The trapezius is a large muscle covering most of the upper back and is shaped like a kite. It has corners at the shoulders, at the base of the neck and has the fourth corner far down the spine. It's the muscle you can easily grip when you grab the meaty part between your shoulder and neck. There are several areas of the trapezius where trigger points are prone to appear and activate. These points tend to refer pain to the temple, jaw, the side of the neck, back of the neck and also that burning sensation you can get between the shoulder blades after a long day in front of the computer.

To deal with temple headaches, grab the roll of muscle between shoulder and neck with your fingers like a pincer. The upper edge feels like a small pencil or thin rod that. Trigger points are easily located here and should be massaged. Progress from one end to the other just like you did with the sternocleidomastoid, releasing the trigger points as you encounter them.

Gripping more of the muscle with your fingers will allow you to search for other trigger points and release them. There are trigger points located between the shoulder blades, close to the edge which you can reach by taking a hard ball and place that between your back and a wall. Then press against the ball and move your body so you reach the sore spots. Once you find a sore or painful spot, roll the ball over it several times until the pain lessens.

Alternatively, you can have a partner use a thumb or fingertips and press on the trigger points. In this case, be sure you clearly speak out when it hurts and if the pressure is too much, direct and guide your partner. Not all are able to feel the knots and know where to press and massage to release them.

Be prepared to repeat your self-treatment 4-6 times a day for a couple of days, up to a week before the pain will completely disappear. Many will feel instant release just after one self-treatment, but the headache might return later. When the trigger points have successfully been released, the headaches will be gone too and only stressing the muscles again, for instance from poor working positions and poor posture will cause them to come back.

Should you find that releasing the trigger points do not relieve the pain, consider if you're found the right trigger points. The neck has a complex collection of muscles, and trigger points in muscles not mentioned in this article can cause headaches as well. In this case, seek a massage therapist who knows about trigger points, or study a book on trigger points and learn more. Almost all trigger points can be self-treated if only you know where to massage. Below is a link to massage books about trigger point therapy you might find useful if you wish to pursue this topic further.

Related articles: Trigger points, massage books review III