Are Massages Appropriate For Every Age Group

A massage can be a great stress buster. In this day and age when just about everyone, including children are stressed, can anyone get a massage? While age is not a deterrent to having a massage, not all types of massages are appropriate for all age groups. It is for this reason why there are masseuses who are trained in offering various types of massages.

While massages are appropriate for any person aged 0 to 100, there are massages and techniques that are best suited for different age groups. Plus, the techniques used and pressure asserted when giving a healthy adult male a massage wouldn't be used on a child of eight. An aromatherapy massage may not be ideal for an asthmatic as the strong scents may bring on an attack, but again this is not age-related.

It may be surprising to learn that babies can benefit greatly from massages. In fact, from the first day of birth a massage can be given to a baby. Not everyone can give a baby a massage as there are techniques that must be learned so as not to harm them. Many parents take classes on giving massages to babies because of the many benefits that can be derived from this. Some of the wonderful benefits include:

• For many newborns, a massage makes the transition from the womb into the world a bit easier.
• Helps to soothe a fussy baby
• Can help put a baby to sleep
• Helps improve and maintain the health of the baby's circulatory system and even their digestive system
• Helps to build and strengthen the bond between parents and babies

In fact, there are only a few groups of persons who are advised not to have massages. Others can have massages if they have certain conditions, but the affected areas of the body must be avoided. None of these factors, however, has anything to do with age. These individuals are:

• Pregnant women in their first trimester. In fact, unless the masseuse has been trained in giving massages to pregnant women, known as prenatal massage, you shouldn't get a massage when pregnant.
• Persons with varicose veins should avoid having the areas with the veins massaged
• Persons with broken bones. Clearly the tissue surrounding broken bones should not be massaged. Even the areas just outside the cast may be sensitive to pressure.
• People with areas with open cuts and wounds.

Anyone can have a stress busting, relaxing massage regardless of their age. The one factor is that the massage should be age-appropriate and performed by someone trained to offer this type of massage as certain massages are appropriate for people of varying ages.

Before deciding on what type of massage to get or give someone, learn about the various types of massages that exist. There are quite a few, with the 10 most commonly known ones being Swedish massage, Acupressure massage, Deep Tissue massage, Aromatherapy massage, Pregnancy massage, Hot Stone massage, Back massage, Shiatsu massage, Thai massage, and Geriatric massage.

Over the years, massage therapy has become a popular choice for people of all ages. They provide the soothing comfort and relaxation that we all could use at some point in our lives.