Massage therapy benefits children with cerebral palsy

Could treating cerebral palsy be as simple as giving a massage? According to AsiaOne, the ancient therapeutic practice is able to decrease muscle spasticity and calm rigidity in patients.

Sun Yong of the Spastic Children's Association in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, says that parents or doctors can administer massages to help improve the child's motor skills.

"The simple massage techniques were originally for children aged 12 and below to relieve common illnesses like constipation, diarrhea, indigestion and fevers," Yong told the news source. "It was later discovered that it could also help children suffering from cerebral palsy."

The doctor also noted that the holistic practice had an advantage over Western techniques because there were no medicinal drugs involved. Because children with cerebral palsy often have difficulty eating, it can be much harder for them to swallow pills than it would be for a normal child.

This condition often occurs during birth, where complications can lead to deprivation of oxygen to the fetus' brain, which in turn causes irreparable brain damage. Symptoms of cerebral palsy include slow development in terms of motor skills and cognitive abilities.