Cough massage for children

All children face the symptoms of respiratory system diseases like cough. To alleviate the condition of the sick child, parents are ready to use different methods. One of them is a special massage, harmlessly helping to get rid of cough.

Cough massage is recommended for excessive accumulation of mucus in the airways, which is difficult to separate. This situation is possible if the child:

• Cold.
• Bronchitis.
• Bronchial asthma.
• Pneumonia.
• Emphysema
• Pneumosclerosis.

During the massage, the bronchial tree is heated, and the mucus accumulated in it becomes more liquid. As a result, the sputum is better for coughing up and removed from the small bronchi to the larger ones, and then to the trachea, which helps the body to get rid of excess mucus and microbes or viruses.

Cough massage is a good alternative to the use of drugs. Such a procedure can be carried out from birth, while parents can learn how to conduct it without attracting specialists.

In addition to stimulating sputum discharge, this massage:

• Stimulates blood flow and lymph flow.
• Strengthens the muscle fibers involved in breathing.
• Increases the mobility of the ribs.
• Stabilizes respiratory function.
• Enhances the effect of the use of drugs.

Performing a cough massage is not recommended if:

• The child has a high body temperature.
• The kid just ate.
• A cold or other respiratory disease has just begun (massage is shown only from 4-5 days of illness, when the acute stage has passed).
• The baby feels discomfort in the position on the stomach.
• There were complications of the underlying disease.
• The baby has skin problems.
• The baby’s body weight is too low.

Cough massage can be performed by different techniques, so it happens:

• Drainage. The main feature of this massage, which promotes better sputum removal, is in the location of the body - the child’s head should be lower than the body.
• Acupressure. This is a very effective massage, but it should only be carried out by a specialist who knows well which zones need to be affected.
• Canned. This massage has a good effect and a positive effect on the immune system, but its implementation is not always available due to the need to use the available tools.
• Vibrating. For such a massage, gentle strokes are performed on the back of the child. It is also called percussion.
• Honey. This type of massage is highly effective for coughing caused by chronic or prolonged illness. A limitation to its use is the high risk of allergies.

See the next video for more details.

More information about vibratory massage when coughing, see the next program.

Since the most accessible and frequently used option for coughing massage is drainage, consider in more detail the technique of its implementation. First, the child is massaged for the back, and then the breast, avoiding the nipple and kidney areas. The room before the procedure should be ventilated.

Start by rubbing the back with the entire surface of the palms from the shoulders to the lower back and back. Next you need to perform:

• Quick tingling movements with fingers. Perform the first tingling next to the spine, and then repeat, retreating a few centimeters to the side, until you reach the lateral parts of the chest.
• Slapping fingertips, collected in a handful.
• Rumbling with the edges of the palms. They are best performed diagonally, moving from the area above the waist to the shoulders.
• Raking fists with ribs. They are also held diagonally.

Putting the child on his back, rub his chest with his hands (the entire surface), moving from the center of the chest to the collarbone. The pressure should be small, but sufficient for the appearance of small redness. In conclusion, seat the child and pound the jugular hollow between the collarbone. Click on it carefully so as not to squeeze the larynx. Next, ask your baby to cough.

After the procedure, the child is wrapped in a blanket and left to lie down for a while in a calm atmosphere. The duration of the massage is approximately 10 minutes, it is recommended to hold it twice a day for 5 days. To facilitate the sliding of the hands, you can use oil or cream.

The technique of conducting a drainage massage after suffering pneumonia or bronchitis, see the following video.

The well-known pediatrician considers this type of massage to be effective when coughing and explains its name as a connection with the word percussion (this is what Latin is called tapping). During such a massage, the bronchi of the child begin to vibrate, and the sputum is separated from their surface. And if it was difficult for the baby to cough up "stuck" sputum, then after the mucus gets into the bronchial lumen, the cough becomes more productive.

Komarovsky focuses the attention of parents on the fact that percussion massage with its effectiveness cannot be called an independent method of therapy. The well-known doctor emphasizes that this procedure is necessarily combined with medication and, more importantly, with a sufficient amount of drinking and humidification of the air. Komarovsky also notes that such a massage cannot be performed at elevated body temperature.

According to the popular pediatrician, a percussion massage that parents can spend at home should look like this:

1. Lay the child on the stomach, and put a pillow under the pelvis so that he is above the head.
2. Sit near the child and your fingertips to perform intense and frequent tapping, which should not hurt the kid. It is desirable that the fingers come into contact with the skin at an angle directed to the head. During taps, change the position of the baby’s head every 30 seconds.
3. After 1 minute, the child should be raised, and then offer him to cough.
4. Repeat such series of tapping and coughing 4-5 times.

This procedure can be carried out up to 6 times a day.

For more information on how to do massage for bronchitis, see the transfer of Dr. Komarovsky.

In the next video, Dr. Komarovsky shows how to do a massage when you cough.

Cover the table with a mattress and diaper (you can put oilcloth under it), and also prepare a towel or blanket in which you need to wrap the crumbs immediately after the procedure. Place the baby on the tummy, and put a small pillow under the baby’s chest so that the crumbs head hangs slightly below the body.

Carefully stroke the back of your baby with fingertips until pink. Then easily rub the skin, moving from the waist to the shoulder area. After that, lift the baby, wrap it up and put it in the crib, not forgetting to change the position of the body from time to time (this will prevent the stagnation of sputum).