Category Archives: Pediatrics

pediatric physical therapy

Is Physical Therapy Right for Your Child?

- Blog, Pediatrics

pediatric physical therapy

PEDIATRIC PHYSICAL THERAPY
is recommended for infants, children, and teens who have a musculoskeletal injury or who have movement problems from an illness, disability or disease. Physical therapy after an injury is required to decrease pain, improve range of motion and strength thus returning the youngster to pre injury status. We will also teach the child and parent strategies to prevent future injury.

What Can Therapy Do?
PHYSICAL THERAPY IS TYPICALLY RECOMMENDED WHEN A CHILD HAS LIMITATIONS IN MOBILITY AND DIFFICULTY WITH ADL’S (Activities of Daily Living).

What To Expect
In the pediatric population, physical therapists use purposeful play in the evaluation and treatment of each child. Following the child’s lead we create a fun and empowering treatment session. The primary role of physical and occupational therapists is to help children, play grow and achieve their developmental milestones. Skills are learned and mastered through the context of therapeutic play in hopes of enhancing performance of functional and purposeful activities. Developmental skills are emphasized allowing for progress toward age appropriate activities and movement patterns. This therapeutic approach addresses the needs of the child’s physical, social and emotional needs.

APPROACHES / TOOLS
• Strengthening, Endurance & Coordination
• Developmental Screenings / Evaluations
• Sports Rehab
• Orthopedic Rehabilitation
• Manual Therapy

The following is a list of diagnosis, conditions, or disease entities that may benefit from pediatric physical therapy:

• Acute Trauma affecting muscles, joints, or bone or limiting mobility and function
• Birth Defects such as Spina Bifida
• Developmental Coordination Disorders
• Cancer Related Fatigue
• Cerebral Palsy
• Developmental delays
• Down Syndrome
• Genetic disorders limiting mobility and function
• Diseases affecting the heart or lungs
• Head Injury
• In or Out toeing when walking
• Orthopedic disabilities or injuries
• Limp when walking
• Limb deficiency or Amputation
• Muscle diseases
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Muscle tone issues – spasticity or hypotonicity
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Sports injuries
• ACL knee injury pre or post op
• Shoulder Pain
• Ankle sprain / pain
• Toe Walking
• Back Pain / Scoliosis
• Torticollis
• Brachial Plexus injury
• Cerebral Palsy
• Elbow or hand pain
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• Juvenile Arthritis
• Juvenile Diabetes
• Headaches / Neck pain
• Hip Pain
• Urinary Incontinence (from a specialist)
• Knee Pain
• Patellar dislocation
• Patella Tendonitis / Jumpers knee
• Obesity
• Osgood-Schlatters
• Sever’s Disease
• Shoulder dislocation

special needs child

What Role Does Family Play?
Family participation is encouraged for successful implementation and carry over into the home environment. Comprehensive individualized home programs are created further empowering the family and child.

Torticollis

- Blog, Pediatrics

ThinkstockPhotos-470795452
Torticollis is a condition of the neck in which the child’s head tilts toward one shoulder and the chin rotates towards the opposite shoulder. It occurs when one of the muscles (sternocleidomastoid muscle) in the child’s neck is tight.

 

Signs & Symptoms

  • Flattening of the back of the head on one side
  • Hip dysplasia
  • Limited range of motion in the head
  • Small bump on the side of the baby’s neck

Your Child and Torticollis

About 1 in 250 infants are born with torticollis. (Ten to 20 percent of babies with torticollis also have hip dysplasia, in which the hip joint is malformed.)

Torticollis limits the ability for a child to move their head freely to see, hear and interact with his/her environment. Because of this torticollis may lead to delayed body awareness, weakness and difficulties with balance, and asymmetrical use of their arms and legs through developmental stages. This asymmetry can lead to uneven weight bearing through the legs and favoring one side of the body.

If your child does have Torticollis your pediatrician would likely diagnose your baby within the first 2-3 months. Most cases of torticollis respond very well to physical therapy intervention. It is important that parents get their children into physical therapy as soon as possible. The older the child is the tighter the SCM becomes and the harder it becomes to stretch the child due to their increased activity level.

Physical Therapy is safe Effective Treatment

At the physical therapy initial evaluation, the parents will be given a home exercise program including:

  • Range of motion exercises
  • Massage instructions
  • Positioning ideas

The combination of physical therapy and home exercise is important to the success of the program. A good deal of parents are surprised as to how quickly they see improvement in their infant’s posture and ability to move to different positions.