Child with hurt back

[Heidi K]

I have been asked to give a back massage for a 6 yr old who fell on his back about a week and half ago. His mom says it hurts when he hops at school. He has not been to Dr. , Mom prefers to try massage. I have not done a childs massage but will probably keep it to 15 minutes or so. Any suggestions?

 

[alep21]

This is a tough one! I understand Mom's desire to try massage first, because I prefer natural remedies whenever possible, too - but doctors are good for something, and the initial assessment by a doctor could rule out a broken rib, punctured lung, etc. that could make massage dangerous to the little guy.

I think I'd ask her to see what the doctor says, first. That is walking on thin ice with some people, but six is very young and tender,

If the doctor doesn't find anything of interest, he'll say just to give it time, rest, or even Children's Tylenol. If that is the case, I'd gladly give the massage, assessing the muscles carefully to see if you can find the problem. It may be hypertonicity or a trigger point. Probably, since Mom's instinct is usually right.

Western medicine is great at diagnostics. Eastern medicine is great at promoting true recovery without the side effects. That diagnosis is incredibly important pretty often, as much as we wish it wasn't so.

 

[Federico]

As far as the actual massage goes (I just read your post again and I didn't answer your question! Sorry!), work slowly & gently, and try to stretch out any trigger points or hypertonicity. Gently kneading will show you where to work. And of course, keep him talking to you. He can show you where it hurts, and demonstrate the hopping that bothers him, then tell you where it hurts, if it hurts on the way up, on the way down, the take off or the landing.

As far as time wise, I'd go up to 30 minutes unless he stops tolerating it sooner than that. 30 minutes is a long time to a six-year-old, but if he's enjoying it, you can accomplish a LOT in 30 minutes in that little body.

Bruises can be too deep to see, so if pressure hurts and you don't feel anything, move on to another area.

 

[kurtiobst]

well, being a mom of an 8 year old i would say not to massage this little man. kids of this age don't usually get muscular pain. well, muscular pain that lasts very long or that they'll actually complain about anyway. i would want to have him get looked at first to make sure he doesn't have any serious injuries. if the doctor clears him from anything serious, you could give it a shot. kids bounce back so quick. if he's complaining of pain a week and a half later, i'd be concerned there's something more going on than anything massage can help.

 

[mrswinabeouf]

Child with hurt back

Thanks Rose and terab.... your answers helped me confirm my first reaction which was to have the child seen by a doctor. I love this site...I can get other opinions to help make an educated decision. The mom is going to let me know what the Dr/Chiropractor says. I feel more comfortable with this decision, being the client is a child. Thanks again.

 

[Barbra]

I hope she will still take him to see you when the doctor says it is okay! He will LOVE massage!!

Good decision, and I know it was a hard one. I hate being in positions like that!