Introduction to Pediatric Physiotherapist
New to parenting? You should know that babies develop at different paces, determined by different factors. Bear in mind that parenting is both an overwhelming and life-changing experience.
We all want our babies to be active, healthy, and achieve their developmental milestones like sitting up themselves, rolling, walking, etc.
One child might walk at 10 months and another at 13 months. And both can be in perfect health without any medical issues.
However, sometimes, a child might experience obstacles in motor skills and physical development. Also, one may be suffering from physical difficulties due to numerous factors like a disability, illness, or injury.
No matter what the actual cause is, taking your child to a pediatric physiotherapist can help a struggling child gain strength, heal, and enjoy a higher quality of life.
Having said that, when it comes to addressing any physical developmental delays, you should watch out for the warning signs and consult a professional at your earliest.
If your child is suffering from any of the conditions listed below, here is how they can benefit from physiotherapy:
Autism
A common perception regarding autism intervention is that it is essential for the development of language and social skills.
What many are unaware of is that an autistic child can substantially benefit from physical therapy to meet sensory and motor skills development needs.
Common challenges these children face are poor balance and coordination, delays in both small and large movement skills, unstable walking, and difficulty in controlling their posture.
Working with a pediatric physiotherapist helps in increasing motor skills and gaining independence. Physiotherapy helps in improving balance and coordination.
Movement-Related Indicators
- Delays in large-movement skills like jumping and walking
- Delays in small-movements like tying shoes and others
- Lack of hand-eye coordination
- Lack of balance
- Poor posture
- Unstable tread
Cerebral Palsy
Although the condition varies in severity, cerebral palsy always impacts movement and posture in some way or the other.
Physical therapy can help children with cerebral palsy, depending on the severity of their condition. It can help increase motor control, strength, and posture.
The therapy focuses on assisting your child what lies within his/her potential via increasing gross motor ability and trying alternate ways to achieve their goals.
For those with milder symptoms, this means walking with less assistance. And for someone suffering from a severe degree of this condition, this could mean operating a wheelchair. Physical therapy works towards meeting each patient’s needs and achieving the best results.
Physical therapy helps cerebral palsy patients find alternate ways to complete their tasks, increase gross motor skills, and strength.
Signs
- Difficulties in motor and physical skills
- The diagnosis is made quite early
- Missing cognitive, developmental, and social indicators
Chronic Pain
There could be many reasons why a child might be experiencing chronic pains. No matter what the underlying cause might be, getting physical therapy could make all the difference in reducing or eliminating chronic pain, with the help of movement, stretching, and strengthening.
There can be a unique cause for every occurrence of chronic pain. With physiotherapy, however, the pediatric physiotherapist can evaluate these cases and use their skills and experience in finding a suitable treatment plan for your child.
One of the major or only signs of chronic pain is constant pain for longer than 6 months.
Further visit: 26 Tips to Protect Sensitive Baby Skin And Best Natural Baby Care Products
Down Syndrome
Decreased strength, low muscle tone, and loose ligaments are major issues with children that are born with down syndrome. All of these impact gross motor skill development.
Children with down syndrome do the same activities as other children of their age. However, due to loose ligaments that lead to increased flexibility and low muscle tone, their journey of motor skill development is different. They suffer from foot pain that leads to inefficiency in walking along with other movements.
What physical therapists do while treating children with down syndrome is to ensure that the development of these motor skills is not harsh on the body rather than speeding up the process.
Physical therapy helps children with down syndrome increase their strength while ensuring the safe development of motor skills.
The diagnosis of down syndrome is usually given during pregnancy.
You should know that not every delay in motor skill development points towards an injury or disease. Any child can improve his balance, strength, and motor skills via physiotherapy.
If you reside in the UAE and see that your child is not achieving milestones like that of children his age, getting an evaluation from an experienced physiotherapist in Dubai might help.
