Physical therapy treatments for children may include:
Strength training, which makes their joints and muscles more powerful.
Gait training to prepare a child for walking (or help their existing walking skills) by improving the stability and motion of the hips, knees, and ankles
Postural control intervention to strengthen a child’s abdominal and back muscles, which allow them to sit and stand upright
Neuro-motor development and coordination training, which focuses on the smoothness and flow of a child’s movement, particularly those with neurological conditions
Soft tissue manipulation, which is a gentle massage that relieves tight muscles that may lead to decreased motion
Vestibular rehabilitation to improve a child’s balance and reaction time
Physical Therapy Basics
Your child’s doctor may recommend physical therapy for a range of developmental and musculoskeletal conditions. Your child may have been born with a condition that needs treatment, which is called a congenital disorder. In some cases, they might have sustained an injury or other concern that developed over time, which is called an acquired condition.
What is a Pediatric Physical Therapist?
No matter what the root cause is, a pediatric physical therapist can help your child develop or relearn motor skills to interact better with their environment. Some motor skills that are crucial for a child’s development include crawling, standing, pulling themselves to sitting, walking, scooting, jumping, hopping, and using stairs safely. As you can imagine, there are many ways that these skills can be incorporated into games and age-appropriate activities to strengthen your child’s abilities.
What Does a Pediatric Physical Therapist do?
Our therapists take special care to make sessions fun for children while also helping to improve their confidence and self-esteem. The aim of pediatric physical therapy is to keep children’s skills at a similar level to that of their peers, since this helps them excel in school, at home, and when participating in sports and extracurricular activities.
The Importance of Pediatric Physical Therapy
As you can see, there are many ways the therapists at Building Blocks Physical Therapy can increase your child’s ability to move and make them happier, healthier, and more active.