The Importance of Hydration for Your Child Dehydration in children is a significant risk year-round, especially for active kids. Children are at a higher risk of dehydration compared to adults due to their higher surface-to-mass ratio and faster metabolic rates. In simpler terms, because children are more active and have more body surface relative to…
Optimizing Aquatic Therapy: The Critical Role of Air and Water Temperature When clients enter the pool area for aquatic therapy at AzOPT, we often hear “Wow! It is so warm in here.” Even the pool water is warmer than most expect. While local gyms keep their pool areas with ambient air temperatures in the mid…
11 Practical Water Safety Tips for Kids It is about that time of year again when the temperatures outside are blazing hot in Arizona! In Arizona, this is the time of year temperatures begin to blaze and many families “escape the heat” by engaging in water play or swimming activities in pools, lakes, or local…
Halliwick Water Specific Therapy Certification by Genevieve Afan PT, DPT, Cert DN & Bobbi Michels PT, DPT, PAq AzOPT Buckeye Aquatic Therapists Halliwick, or Water Specific Therapy, was originally developed in 1950 as a way to teach people with disabilities how to swim and be independent in the water. This method uses a 10-point program…
Aquatic vs Land Therapy – What is the Difference? by Bobbi Michels, PT, DPT Kids Place West Pediatric Physical Therapist Aquatic physical therapy, like land-based physical therapy, is part of the physical medicine and rehabilitation specialty involving the expertise and knowledge of a licensed physical therapist. Land-based therapy incorporates rehabilitation of an individual using therapeutic…
The Best Way to Hold and Carry Your Baby Holding your baby is one of the most joyous and relaxing experiences. It is during these special moments you will bond and enjoy memories of cute smiles, initial communication, and quiet gazing upon your precious baby sleeping in your arms. During the first year of life,…
Oodles of Fun with Pool Noodles by Bobbi Michels, PT Kids Place West Pediatric Physical Therapist Did you know you can enjoy your pool noodle year-round using it to get some exercise on land until it is time to enjoy it in the pool? Pool noodles are so much fun to use on land. I…
Say Goodbye to Positioning Devices By Nicole Campbell, PT, DPT & Bobbi Michels, PT, DPT Kids Place West Pediatric Physical Therapists As a new parent, you will see many different positioning devices as you walk through the baby department of a store. Exersaucers, Jumperoos, Bumbo Chairs, and similar positioning devices are marketed as strengthening devices…
Couch Potato Children – Tips to Get Them to be Physically and Mentally Active By Bobbi Michels, DPT Kids Place West Physical Therapist It’s a Saturday morning, and already we can hear the kids: “Mom, it’s my turn to play on the computer!” “Can I watch T.V?” “No, I want to play an X-box game!”…
