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Occupational therapy provides a multitude of benefits for anyone wishing to support their strength, endurance, flexibility, or stability. In fact, pediatric occupational therapy is used as a treatment for any pain, injury, or ailment a child may be facing. Therapeutic exercise is a great way to help a child restore function and live a pain-free life. For more information on how therapeutic exercise may benefit your child, contact Southern Pediatric Therapy Clinic today!
What does therapeutic exercise do?
Exercise programs are aimed at improving health, to help a child feel better than they did beforehand. Therapeutic exercise is similar in this way; however, it also implements targeted activities that are aimed at relieving pain and restoring one's body to optimum level of physical function. Therapeutic exercise can also be used as a way to prevent additional impairment or disability when facing certain physical risks. There are a wide variety of therapeutic exercises and each one has a unique purpose. These include:
- Area-Specific Exercises. It's easy to think of exercise as something we do with our muscles, but exercise can also help the other systems of our body's. Area-specific exercises target breathing and circulation to help speed healing, improve blood flow, or lower stress on the body.
- Balance & Coordination Exercises. Every time your child stands or sits, bones and muscles work in conjunction with one another to help them remain upright. Every time they stand, walk, sit, brush their teeth, or partake in their daily activities, they are testing their coordination between the muscular and skeletal systems in their body. That is why balance and coordination exercises are so important, especially after an injury or illness.
- Muscle Performance Exercises. Increasing power, endurance, and muscle strength are vital to good balance and stability, as well as bone and joint health. Resistance and endurance exercises are designed to increase muscle strength without injury.
- Range of Motion Exercises. These exercises are aimed at increasing the range of motion in your child's joints and soft tissues. This may be done through active, passive, or assisted stretching activities designed to help their joints move better, without feeling uncomfortable.
- Posture Exercises. What you may not realize is that your child’s posture has a direct impact on their muscle strength, balance, and risk of injury. Posture exercises are aimed at correcting poor posture in your daily life activities to alleviate aches and pains.
- Relaxation Exercises. Relaxation is part of therapeutic exercise? You bet! While it is important to work the muscles, joints, and soft tissues in the body, it is also important to help them relax. Pain relieving techniques including heat, cold, electrical stimulation, massage, or trigger point therapy, can all help the body relax, improve sleep, and even lower blood pressure.
Relieving pain with therapeutic exercise:
It is a common misconception that one should constantly rest when they are in pain. However, this can actually cause muscles to weaken during the healing process, which can lead to decreased functionality and more pain in the long run.
Our Occupational therapists are movement experts, trained in improving strength, range of motion, and overall function of the body. Your child’s occupational therapist will design an individualized treatment plan for them equipped with the therapeutic exercises they need to strengthen the weak areas of their body, promote the healing process, and restore function. At Southern Pediatric Therapy Clinic, our goal is to help your child live a life without restraints, with even greater strength, and better endurance than before. Give us a call at (769) 242-2139 or schedule an appointment today to find out how therapeutic exercise can help your child live the life they want!
