Massage and children's gymnastics for muscular dystonia

The state of muscular dystonia is characteristic of almost all babies up to six months. For some, it persists after. To correct the condition of the muscles of the crumbs, conservative treatment is prescribed, the basis of which is traditionally massage and gymnastics. In this article, you will learn how to teach children from birth to one year old at home.

About pathology

The very concept of "muscular dystonia" is quite voluminous. It means any violation of muscle tone. In newborns, the tone is usually increased, hypertonicity is observed. Such a state during the first months can be considered physiological, because in the last months of pregnancy it was cramped in the mother's womb. The arms and legs with hypertonicity are difficult to unbend, the baby sometimes even in a dream keeps his fists tightly clenched.

Another manifestation of muscular dystonia is hypotonia. This is a condition in which muscle tone is insufficient for normal physical activity. This condition is quite often observed in premature babies, in babies born small and very weak. Also, hypotonia can replace hypertonicity after six months of a child's life, if in the first six months his muscles did not experience the load necessary for normal development, or the child was sick and weakened for a long time.

In addition, the concept of "muscular dystonia" includes conditions in which the child's muscles contract uncontrollably. This can be caused by both congenital pathologies of the central nervous system and birth trauma. Thus, dystonia in infants can have both a physiological development mechanism and a pathogenic (due to diseases).

Tone or hypotonia can manifest itself both in a separate muscle or muscle group, and in generalized manner. If a neurologist and pediatrician claim that a child has dystonia, they should find its cause, because pathological muscular dystonia requires a slightly different approach to treatment. Although in both cases, the basis will still be gymnastics, massage effects and physiotherapy.

In 95% of cases of detection of muscular dystonia in newborns, the causes are physiological. After six months, pathology is rarely diagnosed for the first time, but if this happens, then usually its causes are pathological.

The benefits of classes

Massage and gymnastics in the complex work most favorably. In this case, the lesson always begins with performing massage techniques, and only then should one proceed to gymnastic exercises. Depending on the type of dystonia (hypertonicity or hypotonia), either a relaxing or tonic and restorative massage for children and an appropriate set of exercises from the arsenal of physiotherapy exercises are prescribed.

Classes with a child allow you to relieve increased muscle tone in case of hypertonia, relax muscle tissue. The relaxing effect will be not only muscular, but also general, having a beneficial effect on the general well-being of the child - sleep and appetite will improve, the baby will become calmer. With muscular dystonia by the type of reduced tone, muscle blood circulation improves, muscle tissue becomes stronger, metabolic processes are accelerated.

Gymnastics helps to consolidate the correct state of muscle tone at the level of neural memory - the muscles of the baby's legs and arms, his back, abdomen, collar zone "remember" the correct position at rest and activity.

It is very important to remove the increased tone or improve the decreased tone as early as possible. Children with muscular dystonia develop physically more slowly, it is more difficult for them to learn new skills - they master crawling, sitting, standing, independent steps with delay. A delay in physical development can also lead to a delay in mental and emotional development.

Indications and contraindications

Since hypertonicity is found in all newborns, massage is, in principle, necessary for everyone, although the famous doctor Komarovsky believes that it is quite possible to do without it, because the physiological (not caused by neurological diseases) muscle tone goes away on its own, and this usually happens by 4-5 months life of a child. But the desire of parents to help the child more quickly cope with the signs of dystonia is quite understandable, and therefore worthy of respect and assistance.

With hypotonia, there are more reasons for massage, because muscle tissue weakness is an alarming symptom. Without parental involvement, the muscles will gradually "catch up", but the process can be very long.

If the doctor claims that the child has pathological dystonia, then he must voice a specific diagnosis, a sign of which, in fact, this dystonia has become. If it is paralysis, cerebral palsy, paresis, then professional, therapeutic massage is prescribed, which the mother should be taught by certified masseurs. Inexperienced influence can worsen the well-being of the child and aggravate the problem. For healthy babies, a general, preventive massage is performed, which does not require the participation of a professional massage therapist. Mom can make it to the baby herself.

The list of contraindications includes conditions and diseases in which massage cannot be done:

period of illness, weakness, fever;
period of teething;
the presence of rashes on the skin, extensive prickly heat, eczema, rashes, blisters and pustules, as well as allergic rashes, abrasions and burns;
congenital heart defects and vascular anomalies;
increased convulsive readiness, diagnosed or suspected epilepsy;
blood diseases associated with high trauma of the walls of blood vessels and reduced blood clotting ability;
large hernias - umbilical, inguinal, spinal and others.

Before starting classes, premature and low birth weight children need to gain the necessary weight, so for them the appropriate time to start classes is determined only by a doctor, the independence of parents in this matter is not welcome.

The massage is not done if the child slept poorly at night, did not eat well, if he is sick or has diarrhea. For a child who is in a bad mood and naughty, massage procedures and gymnastics are recommended to be postponed to a later time, when the baby will be more complacent about the upcoming lesson.

How to do?

With hypertonicity and hypotonicity, massage begins the same way - there will be fundamental differences at the end of the procedure.

Lay the child on their back. With your hands moistened with oil or cream, start with general strokes. The direction of hand movements is from bottom to top.

The arms and legs are massaged first. First, they lightly rub the fingers, palms, go to the hands and forearm. After light circular and wavy rubbing, light pressure rubbing can be applied. Make sure that the child does not get hurt. Do not massage the armpits. Massage the legs begins with the foot, by analogy with the hands, the lower limbs are massaged from the bottom up, avoiding touching the popliteal cavities. The knee joint is not massaged, but only lightly stroked with your fingers in a circle without pressure.

The chest and abdomen are massaged with an open palm, in circular and coiled movements. At 3 months, you can add light stroking movements in the neck and neck area to these techniques.

Place the baby on the stomach. Massage your back with your palms and backs, rubbing from the bottom up. Pressure and impact on the vertebrae, lower back and cervical vertebrae should be avoided. For hypertonicity, pay attention to massage the legs and back of the forearms. From 3-4 months, kneading the muscles by gripping them with fingers and slight stretching is permissible. Patting and pinching is helpful for hypotonia.

Return the child to the back, follow the general stroking movements with your hands to relax after the procedure, and proceed to gymnastics.

The massage technique is pretty simple. The difference between tonic and relaxing effects lies in a deeper effect on the muscles with a reduced tone. Rubbing with the ribs of the palms (so-called sawing), deep kneading can be used, the main thing is to carry out such techniques at the very end of the session, when the muscles are sufficiently warmed up and the blood supply has increased.

If you wish, you can supplement gymnastics with elements of acupressure, for example, massage the head (avoiding fontanelles) with your fingertips, as well as massage the feet with a circular finger action on the rise of the foot, on the base of the metatarsal bones, on the transition of the heel to the ankle.

Increase the session time gradually, do not rush, add 1-2 minutes daily. If at the very beginning the session will last 3-4 minutes, then after a month its duration will increase to 10-15 minutes.

Gymnastic exercises

All gymnastic exercises for babies are divided into passive and active. The first involves the performance of exercises for a lying baby, the second - the direct participation of the baby himself in the exercise.

With hypertonicity, try to carry out more passive gymnastic exercises, with insufficient muscle tone, try to strain them to a greater extent, organizing active exercises for the baby using his age-related skills and abilities. According to the general rule of exercise therapy, they switch to active exercises only after a passive set of exercises.

If you are toned, do exercises to stretch the muscles and increase their elasticity. These include:

lifting handles and legs up;
breeding legs to the sides;
bringing the legs to the abdomen synchronously or alternately ("bicycle");
laying out on the tummy.

With muscular dystonia of the type of reduced tone, in addition to the exercises listed above, invite the child to do what he can do by age:

at 2-3 months, lying on your stomach, watch the toy, reach for it;
at 4-5 months, make flips on the side and on the back from the position on the stomach following the toy;
sit down the baby in six months;
at any age, encourage and encourage them to crawl;
at 10-12 months, spend bending with the baby behind the toy, take the first steps with him with support, if the baby does not walk yet.

Fitball charging is suitable for children of any age, excluding newborns. This complex refers to dynamic gymnastics. Ask your doctor if your baby can practice on a gymnastic ball, since dynamic techniques have a larger list of contraindications than general gymnastics.

General rules

To achieve the desired result, it is important to make the classes systematic. Compliance with simple rules will help to tidy up muscle tone and do it with pleasure for everyone:

Maintain the optimal temperature and humidity in the room where the classes are held (temperature not higher than 21 degrees, humidity - 50-70%). Be sure to ventilate the room before the massage. In the summer, if possible, teach outside.
Use a changing table for massage, but if you don't have one, you can practice on a regular table or even on a dresser lid. There is only one requirement - the surface should not be soft and uneven.
Use only hypoallergenic oils or baby massage cream.

You can use vegetable oil, but after it, the child must be bathed in order to remove a thin airtight oily layer from the skin.

Spend any lesson in a playful way - this applies to massage and gymnastics. If the child is not interested, sad, then he will very quickly make it clear that he is pretty tired of everything that is happening, will start to be capricious and will have to interrupt the lesson. Remember that massage and gymnastics are an occasion for communication, which should develop not only the body, but also the psyche of the toddler, as well as his emotional sphere.
Remember safety. Always put everything you need nearby so as not to leave your baby alone on the table, from which it could cause injury.
Practice one hour after a meal to avoid regurgitation, and no later than an hour before bedtime. Toning massage is not done at night.