Recently, one of my patients asked me about my opinion on the therapeutic massage that he was going to undergo. For you to understand, we are talking about an elderly person who has certain problems with the musculoskeletal system. You might be wondering why my advice was so important to him? Because this patient had previously talked with one of his friends, who tried to get him to change his mind, arguing that massage is contraindicated in the elderly. In this context, my patient, completely disoriented, contacted me to get my opinion on this matter. The question to which he wanted to find an answer sounded like this: is massage contraindicated for the elderly? The answer is ambiguous. For older people, massage can be both useful and contraindicated at the same time.
First, let's figure out in what situations massage is recommended for this group of people.
Massage for the elderly is, in a sense, a passive exercise and can help when a person is unable to actively move. Numerous studies have proven that massage is able to successfully cope with negative age-related changes, namely:
- reduces pain and increases range of motion in arthritis as it helps in the production of natural joint lubrication;
- improve blood circulation and supply of cells and tissues of the body with useful substances, which slows down the processes of their wilting and stimulates recovery;
- relieve muscle fatigue and bring them into the required tone;
- improve memory and enhance brain activity, contributing to the intensive saturation of cells and tissues with oxygen;
- improve the quality of life of an elderly person, relieving him of tightness and congestion in the tissues.
So far, we have found out that massage is useful, that's for sure, but there are also features that must be taken into account.
In old age, traditional power massage is replaced by a gentle and comfortable form. Sharp and abrupt impacts are categorically excluded. In order not to damage fragile tissues and skin – movements and pressing should be smooth and light. The maximum massage time is usually limited to 30 minutes, but this is quite enough to perform a high-quality and useful set of techniques.
When performing a massage, it is important to take into account the presence of specific diseases, chronic or recently transferred, since it is important to understand which muscle groups need relaxation and which ones need stimulation.
Now that we have talked about health problems, it's time to say why and in what cases massage is contraindicated in older people.
Considering that old age is usually accompanied by many health problems, massage should be treated with caution. Unfortunately, there is a list of diseases for which massage procedures are prohibited:
- Diabetes mellitus (moderate to high severity);
- Hypertension;
- Atherosclerosis of the legs of the III degree;
- Arthritis, thrombophlebitis,
- Leukemia;
- Oncological diseases;
- Tuberculosis;
- AIDS and HIV;
- Other severe chronic processes.
Are you wondering what I said to my patient?
I told him that the massage should be prescribed by a doctor after a detailed examination, and that the massage should be performed by a person with medical education and significant work experience. Only under such conditions would I recommend massage for the elderly.