People seek physical therapy for several reasons. Pain management and circulatory problems are often the two reasons why patients come for routine sessions. For kids, doctors recommend them to undergo physical therapy for treating ailments, promote healing on injured areas, or normalize joint flexibility.
The goal of this treatment is for the child to perform independent gross motor movements with ease and flexibility, especially after an injury. Other interventions include mobility training, therapeutic exercise, safety and prevention, and promote mental wellness to name a few.
Types of Physical Therapy
There are two kinds of PT your child will likely experience: hands-on physical therapy and movement-based physical therapy. Each has their own strengths and can also be combined depending on your child’s needs.
Hands-on physical therapy
This type of therapy makes use of sophisticated hand motions similar to getting a massage. The therapists’ goal is to treat torn joint muscles and surrounding tissues. Through kneading and several hand movements, physical therapists manipulate and shift muscles and joints to normalize blood circulation in the affected area. It also promotes excretion of lactic acid, a waste product of torn muscles, out of the system so proper healing can ensue.
Movement-based therapy
Also known as the exercise therapy, this type will require mechanical manipulation of the muscles and joints to promote flexibility and mobility of affected areas. For athletes, this is a great way to improve muscles to resist easy tearing of surrounding tissues and muscles in the joints during an intense play. Activities such as back squats, deadlifts, and use of resistance bands are common with this method.
Advantages of Physical Therapy
It’s not unlikely to see children experiencing some form of pain in the lower parts of the body particularly the legs. Although there are no identifiable factors for such discomfort, there could be an underlying medical condition that needs to be evaluated by a pediatrician. Some children experience growing pains, a rare occurrence where growth spurt triggers minor to severe pain. Having your children checked by a pediatric orthopedic specialist will help them look into appropriate therapy sessions to manage this condition.