Pediatric physical therapy performed by a therapist who works on the motor skills of children. Children with chronic illness, birth defects, underdeveloped, or have an injury many times undergo physical therapy. Pediatric physical therapy not only works on muscle and motor skills, it also benefits the overall health of a child from nutrition to help the body perform to the best of its ability. In addition he mental health of a child can be improved by physical activity. The biggest risk in children’s overall health is obesity at this time.
Obesity is an epidemic in our country that many nutritionist have been working to fix for a ong time. Now this epidemic is impacting the children of America, but we have a chance to help in our communities. “The physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic health and security of our nation is at stake. ” – First Lady Michelle Obama. Michelle Obama has started the Let’s Move challenge among children to get kids moving to slow the growth of obesity in our country. Physical therapy as a whole can reduce the occurrence of obesity and health issues in children, adolescents, and adults.
Pediatric physical therapy can start at around 7-weeks-old. The ost common reason to start therapy so early in an infant’s life is a deformation in the skull. Craniosynostosis is caused by the infant’s cranial sutures fuses too early. Cranial sutures are naturally occurring cracks in the skull but when the infant is in the womb the fetuses bones are not yet developed therefore when the infant pushes on the wall of the uterus this could cause a flat spot on the infant’s head. The 7-week-old infant is started on a program to diminish skull deformation says.
Even though, this program is started at 7 weeks the child can still have skull deformation at the age of 6 months. After about 3 onths of physical therapy a helmet could be prescribed. A helmet will help shape an infant’s head from severe deformation to a normal shape. A helmet is also prescribed in the when the infant is diagnosed with cranial orthosis. Cranial orthosis is referred to as the flat spot on the infant’s head. The helmet must be worn for a significant amount of time each day so that the helmet is worn and helps the infant’s head when it is actively growing.
As a child grows the body will start to develop more and more, although not every child has the same growth children still must be taught the way to live a healthy life and ood nutrition so a physical therapist does not have to intervene. (van Wijk, Renske M. , et al. “Response To Pediatric Physical Therapy In Infants Skull Deformation. ” Physical Therapy 94. 9 With Positional Preference And (2014): 1262. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 21 Nov. 2016. ) A pediatric physical therapist does not only work with infants they work with children of all ages to ensure children are reaching their maximum potential to function independently.
Physical therapist use their expertise of movement and explain clinical reasoning through the examination to find a solution nd set up a way to resolve the problem. Physical therapy is not only done in a doctor’s office it also take time and efforts from the family of the child. Family and support will also help the child want to get better, but parents can help by using equipment properly, keeping up with daily routines, and adapting toys for play. A pediatric physical therapist use evidence based practice to ensure that the child is working to get better.
If the child is continuing to show improvement then the child will stay on the routine but it could take a number of different test to find the one that fit each child. Physical therapy is very important to all ages, although not every person experiences physical therapy. With students in high school a majority of students are playing sports. A lot of injuries come from sports torn ACLS, broken bones, or even sprained joints. The risk students take playing sports takes a toll on bodies, but if you are lucky you will not have these issues.
For the students that are not as lucky they have to sit on the sideline and watch. Among the pain for sitting out behind the scenes there is a great deal of physical therapy that goes into ensuring your back on the field or court in no ime. The main reason for physical therapy is to assure the injury is healing to its natural stability. The various programs set physical therapist will help rebuild straight, movement, and prevent injuries from becoming permanent. As part of physical therapy, they can teach exercises, stretches, and techniques using specialized equipment to address problems (Darice Britt).
Nutrition throughout the life cycle is so very important! The needs in nutrition vary throughout the different stages of life from the level of calorie intake to the types of nutrients that are needed for a body to perform. Infants require a lower calorie intake but a very high calcium intake. Children have a high calorie intake due to the fast pace children grow, but as adolescents come to the end of their growing period they have to adapt to a healthy lower calorie intake diet. Carbohydrates, fat, and protein are large interchangeable energy sources.
A 2,000-calorie diet has 2,000 kilocalories of potential energy, but if these calories are not healthy calories, the food could be slowing a person down substantially. The saying “you are what you eat”, really is quite interesting considering the human body onsists of materials similar to those found in foods eaten by the human body. As far as of what consists of a healthy diet will vary with the evolution in nutrition. The food pyramid has been recommended among children since the moment they walk into their first day of school, but now the United States Department of Agriculture is pushing a new diagram called Myplate.
The my plate chart pushes what portion of each plate should be what nutrients. The chart starts with a little less than 4 of the plate should be fruit. Then about the same for protein with a little more grain and vegetables. With a glass of dairy on the side. Many countries food webs as well such as Canada has a food rainbow that goes from the smallest being protein. Then a larger portion of dairy and about the same amount of grain. With the largest being the amount of vegetables that are being taken in. All of the foreign countries around us have tweaked food recommendations, but they all are achieving the same goal!
Healthy diets in our countries are so important for the future of our nation’s. The reason that the different countries around the world make nutritional guides is to try and keep citizens healthy. Now looking at a children’s nutrition guide compared to a adult’s guide does not differ to a large extent a lot of the differences have to do with portion size. Children have a very fast metabolism due to the amount of activity that is performed every day, therefore children may need a little more protein and vegetables to be able to perform at the highest ability possible.
A child’s nutrition starts in the womb with what another is consuming and what parents give children after birth. Pregnant women have their own set of nutritional requirements, but they also need double the vitamin intake and have to carry a healthy eight throughout the pregnancy. A healthy pregnancy weight gain for an average weight 142 pound women would be around 15 to 25 pounds. An underweight 120 pound women the average gain should be around 25 to 35 pounds. The health and nutritional status affects not only the mothers overall health but also the baby’s health.
Health is not all about being “skinny” it is about being healthy underweight is just as bad as overweight. A woman who is underweight and pregnant who fails to gain a sufficient amount of weight during the pregnancy. This can increase the chance of a premature baby or a low-birth-weight nfant. As well as overweight pregnant women have high risk of complications such as high blood pressure, hypertension, and diabetes. Weight loss in a pregnancy is never recommended doctors have endorsed losing weight to become healthy.
This also increases the chance of a struggling mom to become A significant influence on children’s mental pregnant. health as one is growing up is their self-esteem. Like other children, obese children who are teased or bullied may develop low self-esteem. Children who are discriminated because of their weight in school is a hard fact to face. Students are teased, iscouraged, and sometimes physically attacked. Often times doctors themselves discriminate against obese children. (Juettner 36) Teachers also often look to obese children to have learning disorders instead of being gifted.
A story from Childhood Obesity by Bonnie Juettner had two counselors that had no idea how to help fix the low-self esteem problem in overweight students. They went on to created a club for obese girls. They called this clud Bold and Beautiful Club. this club was not only for obese girls as it was intended to be, but this club helped the girls meet new friends and help them get back the elf-respect they needed. The girls club was for fifth and sixth graders, but most had hit puberty early so they kinda looked a bit older. The meetings for the club started with exercise such as walking, dancing, and aerobics.
The club also provided lessons on nutrition, personal nutrition, and hygiene. The club also do fun activities such as learning how to give facials and doing each others nails. Many people go to the gym to build muscle or get in shape but exercise isn’t just about body exercise affects mental health just as much as physical health. Mental health is ffected by physical activity in many ways such as relieving stress, boosting brain function, and alleviate anxiety release. Let’s say someone had a rough day and are pretty stressed out.
Why not hit the gym release some of that stress and come back and have a clear head to be ready to get the job done. Running on the treadmill may be gruelling to get through but the outcome is well worth it. Exercise releases endorphins formerly known as happy chemicals released from the brain. Doctors recommend patients suffering from depression and anxiety to get out and get some exercise to get the euphoria flowing again. Working out to get the boost does not have to be constantly or every day 30 minutes a few times a week can boost the overall mood instantly.
Exercise is also a way to keep the mind sharp and the memory even shaper. When the body is working out it is proven that the body produces brain-derived protein which helps with decision making skills and the ability to learn. Motor skills are extremely important for any child growing up. These skills are essential for academic success, although these things are very important not all children are born with the skills needed for success. A physical therapist knowledge on these skills will help them find the way to work with the child for the best possible income (American Physical Therapy Association).
According to the American Physical Therapy Association school based physical therapist are extremely beneficial. These professionals will help students with a number of different things such as; Assist with the development of core curriculum standards and activities in motor development for all students, supporting Rtl Tiers, support increasingly accurate and appropriate special education referrals. And most importantly develop and provide universally designed and developmentally appropriate motor programs for all students (American Physical Therapy Association).
Having this help in school not only is influential on learning the sports program. Having a physical therapist on the campus to help coaches ensure player safety. They can also be on stand by for injuries and can give player tips on how to keep their bodies in great shape. Obesity among adolescents has been on the rise for several years. Some statistics from Childhood Obesity by Bonnie Juettner states in 1994 the percentage of overweight children had nearly doubled. Children from ages two through five seven percent were overweight in 1994.
In 2006 17 percent of children were overweight, but 18 percent of teenagers were overweight. In Idaho one in four children or overweight or obese, although Idaho did have smaller overweight numbers then quite a lot of states. Idaho has enforced over 900 programs to teach children to live healthy lives. Many adolescents find it is easier to go get fast food then to make a healthy meal. The fast food industry has put obesity in all ages on the rise, but many industries have started to remake their menus to cut some of the unneeded fatty ingredients out.
With exercise and good diets a soda or candy in moderation is an okay thing, but addiction to caffeine or overeating is the serious problem people of all ages are now facing. It is much easier to find unhealthy foods then it is to find the foods that are good for your body. The differents type of health issues created by obesity are extremely frightening. Coronary heart disease is when the coronary arteries that supply oxygen to the heart get clogged with plaque. This disease is nothing to mess with, although this condition is extremely server it can result in death.
One of the most common results from obesity is diabetes type two. This type of diabetes is caused by the body producing a very high level of insulin for too long and after time the body cannot keep up with the high produce of insulin. After the insulin is brought to a slow produce the body’s blood sugar levels sky rocket. When blood sugar levels are high or even low it can cause a diabetic shock and will results in extreme mood changes and can cause the heart to slow or speed up which is not healthy. Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome is also a condition that is a bit more rare.
The rare condition is when there is not enough oxygen in the blood and too much carbon dioxide which will cause hyperventilation. The short breath will restrict exercise and everyday movement, although inhalers can help with the condition. Physical therapist and doctors can help with these conditions and work with the patient to get the best overall outcome. The doctor will help get the health risks under control, but a physical therapist can fix the long term goal by setting up a healthy plan to work with the patient to lose weight and have a healthy lifestyle from nutrition to exercise.