Child Physiotherapy Exercises To Strengthen The Muscles
Child physiotherapy focuses on the developmental issues in children. The most common cause of mobility issues in children is muscle weakness. At InHome Physical Therapy & Massage, our team of pediatric physiotherapists are well-versed in the needs of children and provide customized physiotherapy programs to best suite them. There are different types of conditions in children which lead to muscle weakness and mobility issues. Some common conditions requiring child physiotherapy are cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, Down Syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, and sever’s disease. Our physiotherapists use different types of strengthening exercises to improve the core strength of the child and in some cases, it can help to increase mobility in children with developmental disorders. Some of the exercises are mentioned below:
Resistance Exercise
The best way to train for improved muscle strength is by doing resistance exercises. These exercises require you to perform body movements against some form of resistance such as resistance ropes, and external or body weight. They help in increasing muscle bulk.
Plank: With this exercise, children are made to lie on their stomach on the floor. Then, they are made to stretch their hands at the shoulder level, facing the floor. With their toes on the ground, they push their body up and hold that position for a few seconds.
Hip Extension Exercise
Children suffering from motor neuron dysfunction tend to have weak hip extensors. This can be rectified with regular hip extension exercises.
Bridging: This exercise requires your child to lie on their back with their knees folded and feet flat on the floor. In the next step, the child will have to raise their bottoms off the floor by pushing through their heels. While doing this, the child has to keep his/her head and shoulder on the ground and hold the position for a few seconds. This will help them strengthen their hip extensors.
Spinal Extension Exercise
Spinal extension exercises are useful for children with weak spinal extensors. This weakness usually results in a bad posture and alignment, which leads to further problems.
Superman: In this exercise, the therapist makes the child lie on the floor. The child then has to lift his upper body and legs from the ground with their stomach on the floor. The child is then asked to hold that position for a few seconds. Once the child gets well-versed with this exercise, there other advanced versions of Superman which can be taught to them.
These were a few child physiotherapy exercises for muscle strengthening in children. If you wish to book an appointment with us, get in touch with our experts at InHome Physical & Massage.
Resistance Exercise
The best way to train for improved muscle strength is by doing resistance exercises. These exercises require you to perform body movements against some form of resistance such as resistance ropes, and external or body weight. They help in increasing muscle bulk.
Plank: With this exercise, children are made to lie on their stomach on the floor. Then, they are made to stretch their hands at the shoulder level, facing the floor. With their toes on the ground, they push their body up and hold that position for a few seconds.
Hip Extension Exercise
Children suffering from motor neuron dysfunction tend to have weak hip extensors. This can be rectified with regular hip extension exercises.
Bridging: This exercise requires your child to lie on their back with their knees folded and feet flat on the floor. In the next step, the child will have to raise their bottoms off the floor by pushing through their heels. While doing this, the child has to keep his/her head and shoulder on the ground and hold the position for a few seconds. This will help them strengthen their hip extensors.
Spinal Extension Exercise
Spinal extension exercises are useful for children with weak spinal extensors. This weakness usually results in a bad posture and alignment, which leads to further problems.
Superman: In this exercise, the therapist makes the child lie on the floor. The child then has to lift his upper body and legs from the ground with their stomach on the floor. The child is then asked to hold that position for a few seconds. Once the child gets well-versed with this exercise, there other advanced versions of Superman which can be taught to them.
These were a few child physiotherapy exercises for muscle strengthening in children. If you wish to book an appointment with us, get in touch with our experts at InHome Physical & Massage.
