Pediatric physical therapy near you: 5 common issues it can help your child overcome

Your child’s growth and development isn’t always a smooth journey. Many children experience injuries or medical conditions that can interfere with their health. While it can be frustrating for both the child and the parent, there are treatment options that can help.

While many people assume that physical therapy is geared toward adults, it’s important to learn about pediatric physical therapy. By learning about the common issues that can be treated by pediatric physical therapy, you’ll be able to see the long-term benefits that it can bring your child.

We’ll talk about what pediatric physical therapy refers to, common issues that it can treat and techniques that may be included.

What is pediatric physical therapy?

Let’s start off by defining what physical therapy is. Physical therapy refers to a part of the health care industry that specializes in pain management and improving patients’ strength, flexibility, range of motion and function. Pediatric physical therapy takes those same goals and applies them to patients who are 18 and younger.

Pediatric physical therapy treatment uses therapeutic exercises, functional training and manual skills to improve the overall mobility of young patients who have been impacted by injuries, disorders or developmental delays.

Pediatric physical therapy can provide a variety of benefits for children and teens, including:

• Improved coordination and balance.
• Reduced pain.
• Accelerated injury recovery process.
• Improved gross motor skills.
• Help reaching milestones.

Pediatric physical therapy treatments often utilize toys that the young patients are familiar with, including:

• Aquatic therapy in small pools.
• Obstacle courses.
• Playground equipment.
• Strength training using games or toys.

5 common issues that can be treated with pediatric physical therapy

There are many reasons why you may seek out pediatric physical therapy near you for your child or teenager. Pediatric physical therapy can help young patients with a wide variety of issues that are interfering with their development as well as their overall quality of life. 

While some issues are sustained injuries or trauma, others are conditions that your child was born with. These can cause persistent or worsening symptoms that interfere with their daily movements.

Here are five common issues that pediatric physical therapy can help your child overcome:

1. Sprains — If your child was injured while jumping around or playing a sport, there’s a chance that they sprained a ligament surrounding a joint, which can cause pain, swelling and reduced range of motion. The most common body parts that are sprained from falls or sports injuries include the knee, ankle and wrist.
2. Bone tumors — When cells in a bone grow uncontrollably, it can cause a mass of tissue. While most bone tumors are benign, some can cause a variety of symptoms for children and teenagers, including dull pain, limping or fatigue. These tumors are often the result of genetics or an injury that didn’t properly heal.
3. Scoliosis — Most people are diagnosed with a spinal curvature as children or teenagers because it often occurs before puberty. A person is diagnosed with scoliosis if they have a sideways curvature of the spine of 10 or more degrees. Some scoliosis cases cause severe and painful spinal deformities.
4. Flat feet — Pes planus, commonly known as flat feet, is a condition that causes the sole of the foot to touch the ground due to a lack of arch. Flat feet can cause children and teenagers to experience foot pain, especially while they walk. It can also result in hyperpronation, which is when the ankle rolls too far inward, increasing the risk of injury.
5. Muscular dystrophy — MD is a group of genetic diseases that can cause muscle degeneration and progressive muscle weakness. It’s a group of 30 lifelong diseases that eventually result in the need for a wheelchair. It can also make it difficult for the child or teenager to swallow or breathe properly.

Find effective and affordable pediatric physical therapy near you from an Alliance PTP partner

Pediatric physical therapy can be an effective and affordable way to treat your child’s issues. You just need the right partner to provide it. 

Alliance Physical Therapy Partners has you covered. We can help you find a PT clinic near you that’s staffed with experienced and caring physical therapists. 

Reach out to us today so we can help you find the physical therapy that works best for your child’s needs.