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Jun 01
2017

Chances are, if you are raising a child, at some point the words “physical therapy” will come your way. At all ages and stages, there can be many benefits of physical therapy for your child. Physical therapy can be beneficial to help your children prevent or recover from sports or other injuries as they grow up. It can also provide the necessary care and support that children born with physical deformities or developmental delays can benefit from in order to overcome their challenges.

Here are three different stages of childhood and the challenges children may encounter along the way that can be helped by physical therapy:

From Birth

More common than you may think, torticollis is a condition that can be present at birth or develop shortly thereafter. This condition is most easily recognized if your newborn favors turning his or her head to one side over the other. If caught early, torticollis can be easily corrected with a few stretches and at home exercises.

More serious conditions such as spina bifida, limb deficiencies, genetic disorders, heart and lung conditions and other birth defects can also be helped through specialized pediatric physical therapy.

Toddler

As your child grows, developmental delays may become more apparent. If day-to-day activities are hindered, physical therapy may benefit your child and help in developing their muscles, movement and prevent further delays. At this stage, other conditions may become more recognizable — all of which can be helped by specialized pediatric physical therapy:

• Problems with muscle coordination
• Cerebral palsy
• Orthopedic disabilities
• Muscle diseases

Providing physical therapy at this stage can help your child’s coordination, increase range of motion, gain muscle strength and endurance and increase their abilities for self-care and play. At the same time it can decrease pain, muscle spasm and spasticity as well as decrease swelling and joint inflammation as well as promote healing for some conditions.

Youth

As your child continues to grow and takes interest in sports and other hobbies, the risk of injury goes up. Here is where physical therapy can be beneficial — not only to helping your child recover if injured, but also in helping to prevent overuse injuries in your teen athlete.

Another condition that physical therapy can help is scoliosis. Scoliosis is usually diagnosed pre-teen to early teenage years. It is a marked curvature of the spine. A physical therapist can help tailor a plan to help in your child’s recovery from scoliosis, based on the severity and other treatments selected.

Other Benefits of Physical Therapy For Your Child and Your Family

During the process of physical therapy, parent and other family members also gain education that can help the child along in their journey. Another one of the benefits of physical therapy for your child is decreasing their stress as they work to develop their skills and gain confidence in their abilities.

Regardless of the challenges your child may face, either now or in the future, there is hope. With physical therapy, your child’s abilities can be developed or restored and your child’s quality of life improved. If you would like to know if a more specialized approach can help your child, contact us at Above and Beyond Physical Therapy today.