What is Typical Leg Alignment in Early Childhood? Your child will go through many significant changes in the structure and alignment of their legs throughout their development. Alignment is an important contributing factor to your child standing and walking. Often, parents will ask me if their child’s legs are aligned properly. The following information is…
Taekwondo’s Positive Impact on Child Development by Jessica Raykovich, SPT Student Physical Therapist Taekwondo is a form of martial arts that has been around for hundreds of years. It stands for Tae=foot/leg, Kwon=fist/fight, and Do=way or discipline. It incorporates various forms of kicking, punching, and blocking all while teaching discipline and respect. So should it…
Orthotic Friendly Shoes By Brittany Ricciardi, DPT Kids Place West Pediatric Physical Therapist Finding fashionable shoes that fit over a Supra Malleolar Orthosis (SMO) and Ankle-Foot Orthosis (AFO) easily is a daunting task. When looking for shoes, it is recommended to find a wider shoe. But frequently, these shoes are bulky in order to accommodate…
Mirror Neuron Therapy in the Pediatric Setting by Hailee Baryshnikov Student Physical Therapist Mirror neurons are a type of brain cell that respond equally when we perform an action and when we witness someone else perform the same action. They were first discovered in the early 1990s, when a team of Italian researchers found individual…
Idiopathic Toe Walking and Bracing Idiopathic toe walking has long been a diagnosis pediatric physical therapists have difficulty treating. On the surface, it seems straight forward. A child has tight gastrocs (calves) and therefore walks on her tippy toes. By stretching out the calves, the child is able to touch the heel to the ground…
Ask the Therapist: Shoes or No Shoes? by Brittany Ricciardi, DPT Kids Place West Pediatric Physical Therapist Is it better for my child to walk with shoes or barefoot? When should my child start wearing shoes? What shoes are best for my child to wear? These are all questions we often receive from new parents.…
Ask a PT: “What Sport Should my Child Play?” by Nicole Campbell, PT, DPT Kids Place West Pediatric Physical Therapist Often, as pediatric physical therapists, we are asked which sport we recommend. The answer is simply – ANY! Every sport has benefits, some different than others. Swimming is a low impact sport that improves strength,…
Play Ball – Using a Therapy Ball Therapeutically by Andy Albrecht, DPT, PCS Kids Place Central Clinic Manager Of the many pieces of equipment used on a daily basis as a pediatric physical therapist, one of my absolute favorites is the therapy ball. Not only is the ball fun and exciting for kiddos to use,…
Outpatient Occupational Therapy vs. School-Based Occupational Therapy By Jeanette Mangano, DPT Kids Place West Pediatric Physical Therapist As children are preparing for the start of a new school year, parents often ask about the difference between school-based occupational therapy and Kids Place, an outpatient occupational therapy clinic. The answer can be somewhat confusing. The Role…
Torticollis, literally translating to ‘wry neck,’ is a condition in which a child’s neck is typically flexed or bent in one direction and rotated in the other direction. This is due to a muscle in the neck, called the sternocleidomastoid, which has become shortened, strained, or weakened. This results in an abnormal posture of the…
