Elimination difficulty in children, manifested as difficulty in urination and even complete urinary obstruction, belongs to the category of "urinary retention". "Urinary retention" refers to the obstruction of urine flow, resulting in slow and dripping urination, while "closure" refers to complete urinary obstruction, causing urine to accumulate and overflow rapidly. Massage therapy is effective in treating this condition. Let's take a look at massage techniques for promoting urination in children.
Etiology and Pathology of Urinary Retention in Children
Urination is the result of the separation of clear and turbid fluids in the small intestine, the transportation of the water channels of the triple burner, and the storage and gasification of urine in the bladder. Therefore, normal urination relies on the normal function of the small intestine, triple burner, and bladder. Kidney deficiency and weak primordial yang, leading to failure of gasification of water, are common pathological mechanisms of urinary retention in children.
Classification of Urinary Retention Symptoms
Weakness of Primordial Qi
Difficulty in urination, distension and heaviness in the lower abdomen, weak urine flow, fatigue, lethargy, low-pitched crying, pale complexion, pale lips and tongue, and pale red fingerprints.
Damp-heat Invasion
Urinary retention, with urine dribbling or dripping, urgent and painful distension in the lower abdomen, restlessness, crying and irritability in children, red face, foul breath, red lips and tongue, and purplish fingerprints.
Massage Therapy for Urinary Retention with Weakness of Primordial Qi
Treatment principle: Nourish primordial qi and promote the flow of water.
Massage prescription: Tonify the Kidney meridian, rub Kidney Shu, massage Guan Yuan, rub Dantian, rub Er Ren Shang Ma, push Ji Men, push San Yin Jiao.
Massage rationale: Insufficient primordial qi should be nourished and stabilized. Rubbing Kidney Shu is crucial for nourishing and tonifying. Guan Yuan and Dantian are located in the abdomen. Massaging them can gather yang qi and open the water channel, promoting the transformation of qi and the flow of water. Er Ren Shang Ma is a vital point for promoting diuresis. Ji Men and San Yin Jiao are located in the lower limbs. Pushing these points can help the water flow downwards, resulting in urination. The above combination of acupoints focuses on nourishing and promoting circulation, warming the Kidney, and cultivating primordial qi, activating Guan Yuan and opening the water channel, thus facilitating urination.
Massage Therapy for Urinary Retention with Damp-heat Invasion
Treatment principle: Clear heat, promote urination, and relieve pain.
Massage prescription: Clear Tian He Shui, rub Xiao Tian Xin, clear Xiao Chang, rub Er Ma, push Xia Qi Jie Gu, push Ji Men.
Massage rationale: Clear Tian He Shui and clear Xiao Chang can dissipate heat and separate the clear from the turbid, guiding the heat downward. Rubbing Xiao Tian Xin can regulate the meridians, unblocking the stagnation. Pushing Xia Qi Jie Gu and Ji Men can relieve heat, promote urination, and alleviate pain. The above acupoints mainly focus on clearing and draining, supplemented by rubbing Er Ma to nourish Yin and tonify the Kidney, ensuring that draining heat does not harm Yin and promoting urination without damaging the Kidney. Er Ma is an essential acupoint for promoting urination and treating urinary symptoms. The combination of these acupoints utilizes both attacking and tonifying techniques, with a focus on attacking, which is the opposite of the treatment principle for insufficient Kidney yang.
Tips
The massage methods mentioned above can also be applied to frequent urination in children. Frequent urination refers to a significant increase in the number of urinations, sometimes as frequent as every 10 minutes, with a small amount of urine each time. Generally, painless urination with clear color and residual urine indicates a deficiency, which can be treated according to the weakness of primordial qi type. Painful urination with yellow or red color should be treated according to the damp-heat invasion type. However, the pathogenesis of frequent urination is often related to the improper regulation of liver function, so on this basis, it is advisable to add liver-regulating techniques such as rubbing Xiao Tian Xin and rubbing the lumbar-sacral region.
