Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pneumonia impairs lung development, structure, and function during children’s critical growth stages. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) boosts constitution, yet the efficacy of TCM meridian massage for post-pneumonia lung function improvement remains unclear. This study investigates its role as an adjuvant therapy for lung function recovery in post-discharge children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MMP). METHODS: Sixty-four MMP children with abnormal lung function at discharge (Jan 2023–Dec 2024) were randomized to treatment (n = 32) or control (n = 32) groups. The treatment group received meridian massage (3 sessions/week for 1 month) with three acupoint categories: lung-ventilating/cough-relieving (Feishu BL13, Danzhong CV17), phlegm-resolving (Tiantu CV22, Fenglong ST40), and spleen-lung-nourishing (Zusanli ST36, Pishu BL20). The control group only underwent lung function re-evaluation 1 month post-discharge. Data were analyzed via Prism(®) 10.0. RESULTS: Twenty-five treatment and 31 control patients completed follow-up finally. Baseline mixed-type lung function abnormalities and key parameters (e.g., FVC, FEV1) were comparable (p ≥ 0.05). At 1month post-discharge, recovery rates were 88.8% (22/25) vs. 41.9% (13/31) in the two groups, respectively. The treatment group showed superior improvements in large (FVC, FEV1, PEF) and small (MEF25, MEF50, MEF75, MMEF) airway parameters (p < 0.05), with no difference in FEV1/FVC (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Meridian massage safely and effectively promotes lung function recovery in post-MMP children through anti-inflammatory immune modulation and meridian-zang-fu regulation. It provides a novel therapeutic option for post-pneumonia lung dysfunction and evidence-based support for preventing long-term pulmonary sequelae. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12887-026-06605-z.