As a parent, you always want to help your children overcome obstacles that could prevent them from reaching their full potential. If they are dealing with physical or mental roadblocks, you want to help them get the tools they need to succeed in life, and one of those helpful tools can be physical therapy. But what types of things should you be looking for that may suggest your child would benefit from meeting with a physical therapist? We share some ways to recognize that your child could benefit from PT.
Is Physical Therapy An Option For My Child?
There’s no perfect checklist for determining if physical therapy could help with some of the issues your child may be dealing with, but if you notice any of the issues below, it pays to have a conversation with your child’s pediatrician or a physical therapist.
- Developmental Delays – If you are noticing that your child has some developmental delays, or they seem to be falling behind their peers, physical therapy can help them catch up. Every child develops at a different pace, but if your infant is failing to hit certain milestones like sitting, walking or even holding their head up, it might be worth it to set up an appointment with their doctor or a PT. Whether it’s muscle conditioning or something more, we can help your child become the best version of themselves.
- Autism – While more of the focus of autism may be on the social and language issues, oftentimes children with autism have motor skill and sensory development delays that can be aided by physical therapy. Improving these motor skills will help your child become more independent and capable.
- Neuromuscular Disorders – Children with certain neuromuscular disorders like muscular dystrophy will also benefit from a PT routine. Physical therapists can help to slow the progression of a neuromuscular condition and help clients maintain function as long as possible. When function starts to fade, they can also help clients adapt to this loss and live fulfilling lives.
- Torticollis – Torticollis is a somewhat common condition in infants that results in a noticeable tilt in the neck, oftentimes causing the child to have their neck in the same offset position. This is the result of muscular shortening and imbalance, which a physical therapist can help correct. PT is the most common treatment recommendation for children dealing with torticollis to help straighten out the head and neck area without the need for surgery.
- Gait Abnormalities – If you’ve noticed that something just seems off or disjointed about the way your child is walking or moving, consider having them do a gait analysis with a physical therapist. We can help pinpoint the source of this gait issue and make some simple corrections to help your child move without putting excessive strain on certain areas of your body. Toe walking, in-toeing and out-toeing and other walking abnormalities can all be addressed with the help of PT.
- An Injury – Finally, if your child suffers an injury and you want to help them return to a pre-injury level of fitness, connect with a physical therapist. Our PT team can help target injured structures and ensure your child continues to make progress until they are back to normal physical activities. Your child’s body is doing a lot of growing when they are young, and if an injury doesn’t get fully addressed during adolescence, it can linger into adulthood. Help your child overcome injuries by connecting with a physical therapist.
If you’d like to set up a PT appointment for your child, or you just want answers to a few questions you have, reach out to the team at OrthoRehab Specialists today.