As an adult, you already know that there are numerous reasons to make physiotherapy a part of your normal health and wellness routine. But what about the rest of the household?
Many parents don’t consider physiotherapy for their kids. The thought process is understandable, given that the little critters seem to bounce back from any bump, bruise, sprain and break that occurs in the playground or backyard.
While it is true that children heal much faster than us grown-ups, physical therapy is about so much more than attending to the injuries common to their high levels of activity. Let’s find out why you should consider physiotherapy for your mini-you in the years ahead.
4 Ways Physical Therapy Can Serve the Overall Health and Wellness of Your Child
1. They Don’t Heal as Well as You Think
Returning to the point about children healing faster than adults, it should be noted that this is not always a good thing. Why? For one, there is a perception of healing given that the pain has subsided. This perception can have your child return to sport or activity before adequate healing has occurred which increases the risk of re-injury and physical ailments in adulthood. But there’s more.
The elasticity of your child’s muscle tissue is fantastic for reducing the risk of a minor injury, however, it can increase the risk of a major injury. For instance, the dislocation of joints can happen because the muscles are not fully developed, exposing the joints to stress volumes that they can’t handle. Your child may develop unstable joints, which can lead to arthritis and persistent joint pain in the future.
In addition, something as simple as a sprained ankle (one of the most common childhood injuries) is also more likely to result in a bone avulsion because the ligaments are stronger than the surrounding bone. And yet ankle sprains continue to go untreated, with parents doing as their own parents did, wrapping the ankle in a tensor bandage with a kiss on the forehead and some chicken noodle soup to boot. This old way of thinking will invariably lead to physical complications when your child is older. Instead, schedule a visit with a physiotherapist to make sure your child is treated for the injury they’ve sustained, and so that they do not return to the same level of activity until they’ve been given the thumbs-up from a qualified professional.
2. Physiotherapy Can Help Treat More Serious Physical Conditions
It’s not all about better managing common childhood injuries and developing enhanced motor skills. Physical therapy can have a tremendous positive impact on the lives of kids living with more serious conditions. Since physiotherapy assists in the development, rehabilitation, and improvement of movement skills and performance it is often applied to infants and children suffering with many ailments, including (but not exclusive to) the following:
- Cerebral Palsy
- Down Syndrome
- Spina Bifida
- Hypotonia
- Developmental Coordination Disorder
- Other genetic conditions
Studies have shown that physiotherapy can even help with neurodevelopment disorders such as autism. Simply put, physical therapy can help your child realize a potential that both you and they never deemed possible. If your child has a condition that limits their physical capabilities, contact our clinic right away to discuss an effective treatment and therapy plan unique to their needs.
3. Can Help Them in School
Does your child fidget and shift around in the dining room chair when navigating their way through evening homework? Many parents chalk this behavior up to typical childhood restlessness but there may be other underlying issues at play. The physical inactivity experienced when sitting around in class all day (15-minute recess doesn’t cut it) can take its toll on their core and lead to significant discomfort and poor seating posture. Because there is no real “pain” to report, it often goes untreated. But this discomfort goes beyond the physical, and can significantly impact cognitive performance and result in an inability to concentrate and finish learning tasks on time. The same discomfort and poor posture can also result in poor quality of sleep which has a direct and negative impact on cognitive performance, compounding the issue further.
This is where physiotherapy can step in as a solution. Physical therapy and treatment can have a direct and positive effect on postural and physical inactivity related symptoms in youth. By returning them to a state of physical comfort, you set the table for improved performance in the class and at the dining room table when nose-deep in algebra.
4. Provides Them with Greater Awareness of Their Physical Self
A physiotherapist can better help your child understand the growing pains that they are experiencing and will experience in the years ahead. Children will learn about how their bones, muscles, tissues, tendons, and ligaments are all interconnected, and will develop a better understanding how their body works. By gaining this knowledge, they will be better able to identify a sustained injury or ailment that parents may otherwise dismiss as growing pains. They will also learn proper form for when participating in physical activities and sports, which will not only assist in injury prevention, it may very well improve their performance.
The knowledge they gain early in life will carry through their adolescence into young adulthood, and beyond, which helps shape them into a healthier and more physically fit citizen of the world.
So much of the educational curriculum is focused on math, language, and analytical skills and yet so little practical attention is paid to the vessel that carries it all – the body. Give your child the best shot at the most well-rounded life possible by making physiotherapy a part of their lives today.
Key members of the staff at Absolute PhysioCare are not only versed in pediatric physiotherapy, they are parents too! That means your child will get the dedicated (and patient) attention they need in a manner they will respond well to. The only negative in arming your child with a new found knowledge of how their body works? That expensive PlayStation or Xbox system may not get the attention it used to.