Physical Therapy for Kids: What are the
Benefits?
There are considerable advantages when
undergoing physical therapy that may not only benefit a child physically, but
mentally too. Pediatric physical therapy helps
children learn to successfully and independently perform
gross motor skills and functional mobility skills. As a child begins
to successfully develop these skills, it creates a greater form of
independence that helps contribute to achieving a higher sense
of self-esteem. Though physical therapy for children provides a safer
form of development and strengthening, it is also capable of being an
essential preventative measure. Physical therapy also helps young athletes
in preventing injury by addressing any muscle imbalance or weakness as well
as help them to return to play after injury. A variety of treatment
interventions are used including: developmental
activities, therapeutic exercise, balance and coordination activities,
adaptive play activities, mobility training, safety and prevention programs,
and activities to promote overall wellness. Benefits
of Physical Therapy You are
probably asking yourself, what are the main benefits that come with pediatric
physical therapy? We have listed below the essentials involved our services,
the benefits that come with it and the experience your child will get. Physical therapy rehabilitation is extremely important after an
injury and there is no question that those who go through physical therapy
end up in much better shape in the long run and return to full activity much
sooner. In fact, a great deal of the time those people that do not have a
physical therapy plan after a surgery or an injury that is guided to healing
their specific problem do not return to the level of activity that they had
in the past. Because of this, it is very important to take any type of
physical therapy with the utmost of importance. What
Can My Child Improve On?
·
Range of Motion how
far a joint can bend or straighten ·
Strength strength
against gravity ·
Balance ability to
maintain balance (tilting and righting responses) and to keep oneself from
falling (protective responses) ·
Reflexes automatic
responses seen particularly in infants (palmar grasp, positive support,
asymmetrical tonic neck reflex ·
Posture alignment of
the body in various positions ·
Tone natural
resistance in a muscle (increased tone is stiffness and decreased tone is floppiness) What
Do Your Pediatric Physical Therapy Services Include?
·
Stretching and
strengthening activities and exercises to increase a childs range and
quality of movement ·
Establishing or
reshaping movement patterns to follow normal development ·
Improving balance and
equilibrium skills ·
Improving postural
control ·
Evaluating the need
for adaptive equipment and orthopedic devices How
Do I Know If My Child Needs Physical Therapy?
·
They are not meeting
the expected developmental
milestones during the first year of life (ie.
rolling, sitting, standing, walking). ·
They have a strong
preference for turning their head to one side or using one side of their
body. ·
They walk up on the
balls of their feet or walk in an atypical/awkward manner. ·
They have difficulty
keeping up with their peers during play. ·
They are not able to
perform the same gross motor tasks (ie. hopping,
jumping, skipping) as their peers. ·
They frequently trip
and fall when walking. ·
They complain of pain
when performing gross motor tasks. ·
They were injured and
are not able to perform at their prior level of function. |