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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Research has shown that neonatal handling affects the neurochemical brain development of certain regions in the brain that regulate the response to stress. The benefits of massage therapy for pre-term infants have been well documented in
several studies; some of the cited research involves small sample sizes. Taken together, however, the total research cited is supportive.
These benefits include the following:
- Massage is a cost-effective
therapy for pre-term infants.
- Pre-term infants gained
more weight with just five days of massage.
- Massage therapy by
mothers in the perinatal period serves as a strong time
cue, enhancing coordination of the developing circadian
system with environmental cues.
- Over the 6-week period,
the massage therapy infants gained more weight, showed
greater improvement on emotionality, sociability, and
soothability temperament dimensions and had greater
decreases in urinary stress catecholamines/hormones (norepinephrine,
epinephrine, cortisol).
- Infants receiving
massage showed fewer sleep delay behaviors and had a
shorter latency to sleep onset by the end of the study.
- Massage may have a
stress reducing effect on pre-term infants in the NICU.
- Reduction of illness
and diarrheal episodes in orphaned children in Ecuador.
- Improve quality of
sleep and reduce sleep-disordered breathing in low birth
weight babies.
POSITION STATEMENT
It is the position of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) that newborns (especially pre-term infants) may benefit from massage therapy.
REFERENCES
- Dieter, J.N.I., Field, T., Hernandez-Reif,
M., & Emory, E.K. (In Review). Preterm infants gain
more weight following five days of massage therapy.
Acta Pediatrica.
- Ferber, S.G., Laudon, M., Kuint, J., Weller, A., &
Zisapel, N. (2002). Massage therapy by mothers enhances the adjustment of
circadian rhythms to the nocturnal period in full-term
infants. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral
Pediatrics, 23, 410-415.
- Field, T.,
Grizzle, N., Scafidi, F., Abrams, S., & Richardson, S.
(1996). Massage therapy for infants of depressed
mothers. Infant Behavior and Development 19,
109-114.
- Field,T. &
Hernandez-Reif, M. (2001). Sleep problems in infants
decrease following massage therapy. Early Child
Development and Care, 168, 95-104.
- Scafidi, F. and
Field, T. (1996). Massage therapy improves behavior in
neonates born to HIV-positive mothers. Journal of
Pediatric Psychology, 21, 889-897.
- Scafidi, F. A.,
Field, T., & Schanberg, S. M. (1993). Factors that
predict which preterm infants benefit most from massage
therapy. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral
Pediatrics, 14, 176-180.
- Hernandez-Reif M. Diego M Field T Preterm infants show
reduced stress behaviors and activity after 5 days of
massage therapy. Infant Behav Dev. 2007 Dec;
30(4):557-61. Epub 2007 Jun 4.
- Jump
VK, Fargo JD, Akers JF. Impact of
massage therapy on health outcomes among orphaned
infants in Ecuador: results of a randomized clinical
trial. Fam Community Health. 2006 Oct-Dec;
29(4):314-9.
- Kelmanson IA, Adulas EI. Massage
therapy and sleep behavior in infants born with low
birth weight. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2006 Aug;
12(3):200-5.
Epub 2006 Feb 7.
Disclaimer: Position statements of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) are approved by the AMTA House of Delegates and reflect the views and opinions of the association, based on current research. These statements are not expressions of legal opinion relative to scope of practice, medical diagnosis or medical advice,
nor do they represent an endorsement of any product, company or specific massage therapy technique, modality or approach.
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American Massage Therapy Association®
