Massage Therapy Can Enable Stable Preterm Infants to Gain More Weight in Rocky Point NY

According to a study done in Miami, massage therapy can enable stable preterm infants to gain more weight. This is something that could be explored further to test if therapeutic massage can indeed benefit stable preterm infants in Rocky Point NY, and even in Suffolk County, Rocky Point, Manorville, Miller Place, Mount Sinai, Port Jefferson, Ridge, Yapank, Shoreham, Weeding River, Riverhead, Setauket, East Setauket, Port Jefferson Station, Coram, Seldon, Farmingville, Brookhaven, Middle Island, Medford, and Sound Beach.

The study entitled “Stable Preterm Infants Gain More Weight and Sleep Less after Five Days of Massage Therapy” was done by John N.I. Dieter, PhD; Tiffany Field, PhD; Maria Hernandez-Reif, PhD; Eugene K. Emory, PhD; and Mercedes Redzepi, Psy.D., all of whom were members of the staff of the Touch Research Institute of the University of Miami School of Medicine; and the Center for Prenatal Assessment and Human Development of Emory University. The study received support from Johnson and Johnson and its documentation was first published in 2003 on pages 403-411 of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Vol. 28, No. 6.

The study observed 32 preterm infants approximately three weeks old who were all in stable condition and considered healthy and low risk. They were randomly divided into two groups. The massage therapy group was given three 15-minute sessions of massage therapy every day for five consecutive days. Each session consisted of five minutes of tactile stimulation followed by five minutes of kinetic stimulation and then five more minutes of tactile stimulation. The control group did not receive any massage.

Daily monitoring was done on each group’s formula intake, kilocalories, bowel movements, weight gain and sleeping and waking patterns.

Results of the study showed that there was no difference in daily formula intake, kilocalories and bowel movements between the massage therapy group and the control group. The infants in the massage therapy group, however, gained more weight and slept less after being given five days of massage therapy, as compared to the infants who were not given massage.

On the average, infants from the massage therapy group gained 26 more grams per day or 53 percent more weight than their control group counterparts.

According to the researchers, “Five days of massage therapy also led to a significant reduction in sleep states and an increase in drowsiness. Along with the statistically significant increase in drowsiness, trends shown by the massage therapy infants may reflect acceleration in the developmental course of sleep/wake patterns in preterm infants.”

The researchers further noted that previous studies had shown weight gain in healthy low risk preterm infants after 10 days of massage therapy. “That the promotion of weight gain was so rapid suggests that the dose-response ratio may be lower than previously thought,” they added.

Massage therapy has been known to benefit not only stable preterm infants but also adults. The parents of preterm infants are most likely stressed and anxious over their babies’ health. They need to relax and keep themselves healthy to be able to have the strength and energy to care for their children. Perhaps if the mothers had undergone pregnancy massage therapy previously, it would have helped prevent some premature deliveries. Nevertheless, these parents could still avail of therapeutic massage such as reflexology massage therapy, deep tissue massage therapy, sports massage therapy and Swedish massage therapy from a professional massage spa in Rocky Point NY that also serves Suffolk County, Rocky Point, Manorville, Miller Place, Mount Sinai, Port Jefferson, Ridge, Yapank, Shoreham, Weeding River, Riverhead, Setauket, East Setauket, Port Jefferson Station, Coram, Seldon, Farmingville, Brookhaven, Middle Island, Medford, and Sound Beach. This way, both the stable preterm infants and their parents are cared for.