Who are Physical Therapists The American Physical Therapy Association defines a physical therapist as “a licensed doctor who works with multiple patient populations impacted by disease, injury, and movement dysfunction.” Clear-cut and forward, this definition does not fully explain how a physical therapist specifically can help you. To do this, we need to break it…
Strategies for Successful Family Mealtimes Family meal times are a time to join together to sit and enjoy a variety of foods and conversations. But for families of picky eaters, family dinners can instead be stressful and even chaotic. Stress and anxiety overwhelm the table because no matter what is presented, your picky eater struggles…
The Hidden Importance of Reps and Sets Patients often wonder why their AzOPT physical therapists will ask them to complete three rounds of 10 repetitions for a specific exercise instead of simply stating 30 reps. Despite what many people think, the numbers we give are not arbitrary! They play a crucial role tailored to your…
Understanding Gestalt Language Processing Have you ever wondered why a child randomly starts repeating lines from a favorite show, book, or song? The child is most likely using delayed echolalia or gestalts to communicate a need or express excitement. The term gestalt means “whole”; a gestalt unit can be a “whole” sentence, song or story.…
3 Must-Try Balance Boosters! Did you know that one of the number one predictors of falls is having a fear of falling? It may seem surprising, but it’s true! Many patients visit us feeling unsteady or imbalanced and afraid of falling. Some have even experience injuries due to falls, while others worry about the consequence…
Boosting Early Language Skills This May, we celebrate National Speech-Language-Hearing Month, raising awareness about communication disorders and the role of pediatric speech language pathologists in providing life-altering treatment. Did you know by the age of two, the average child can say between 200-300 words? If your little one has not reached this milestone, try these…
The Hidden Benefits of Obstacle Courses Crafting an obstacle course for children extends beyond mere entertainment; it serves as a dynamic tool for fostering various skills essential for their development. Explore this guide on the benefits of obstacle courses, along with the best methods on how to create one that maximizes learning and fun! Skills…
Power is an important aspect of physical performance and is generally defined as performing work quickly, or generating force in a short period of time. Sometimes it is also referred to as “explosiveness”. However you want to describe it, power comes in handy when trying to do something quickly, like changing directions or jumping. This…
Mastering Foam Rolling Whether at the gym, CrossFit, or even AzOPT, you have seen someone laying and rolling around on a cylindrical shaped piece of foam. Foam rolling has become an extremely popular and effective self-massage technique. To understand why, let’s discuss the basic structure of our muscles and tissues. Our muscles are surrounded by…
Hand Manipulation Skills in Child Development Children are often referred to pediatric occupational therapy for concerns related to fine motor skills. Generally thought of as the movement and use of hands and upper extremities, fine motor skills include reaching, grasping and manipulating objects with your hands. Fine motor skills also involve vision, specifically visual motor…
