Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is a major health problem among the pediatric population that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. ARI presents itself as cough and runny nose, sneezing, accompanied by fever and red throat, which all peak within 1 to 3 days and mostly improve in the first week. If the cold cough persists for more than 14 days without treatment can develop into a lower respiratory tract infection resulting in pneumonia with symptoms of rapid breathing frequency, chest retraction to the risk of death of the child. ARI symptoms demand symptomatic treatment with analgesic and antipyretic symptomatic drugs.

Advocating only Pharmacological therapy in children may not be enough as they tend to be fussy and difficult to take drugs that cancause trauma. Additional treatment methods as chest massage therapy can support the healing process in children.

Massage therapy is an old tradition followed in many developing countries for decades as an alternative in reducing respiratory disorders in children and improving lung function. It has psychological and physical benefits. Parents often offer massage therapy to their kids that aim to relax and overcome various health problems.

An article focused on massage therapy in ARI infants with upper respiratory infections and lower respiratory tract infections and demonstrated that massage therapy provides recovery benefits for ARI symptoms such as overcoming fever, overcoming sleep difficulties, improving the immune system, improving the work of the respiratory system, improving blood circulation, increasing concentration, increasing appetite, strengthening the bond between mother and child and others.

Source: Agussalim, A., Kusmiyati, Y., & Mashoedi, I. (2020). Massage Therapy for Infants and Toddlers With Acute Respiratory Infections: A Literature Review. STRADA JurnalIlmiah Kesehatan, 9(2), 656-663. https://doi.org/10.30994/sjik.v9i2.352