Shoulder physiotherapy can be essential for children recovering from injuries or managing conditions that affect their mobility. But how often should they attend these sessions to ensure optimal recovery without overdoing it? In this article, we’ll explore the right balance for effective treatment, offering essential insights that every parent should know.
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How often should children undergo shoulder physiotherapy?
The frequency of shoulder physiotherapy for children varies depending on different factors. Typically, sessions are needed 1-3 times per week, especially early in the treatment process when close monitoring is required. As progress is made, the frequency often reduces.
Common Reasons for Shoulder Physiotherapy:
- Injuries such as sprains, strains, or dislocations.
- Rehabilitation after surgery (e.g., rotator cuff repair or labral tears).
- Developmental issues like congenital shoulder abnormalities or conditions that affect movement, such as cerebral palsy.
- Overuse injuries from sports or other repetitive activities.
Key Factors Affecting Frequency:
- Injury Severity: Acute injuries or post-surgical cases often require more sessions initially.
- Age and Growth: Children’s healing rates can vary, influencing the pace and frequency of therapy.
- Activity Level: Active children, particularly in sports, may need regular therapy to prevent overuse injuries.
General Recommendations:
- Acute Injuries: Early stages of injury or surgery often need 2-3 sessions per week for pain management and early mobility.
- Post-Rehabilitation Phase: Once strength improves, sessions can decrease to once per week, focusing on building strength and flexibility.
- Long-Term Maintenance: For chronic conditions or ongoing sports involvement, occasional sessions can help monitor progress and adapt exercises as needed.
Signs Your Child Needs Physical Therapy
If your child is experiencing challenges with motor skills that limit their ability to move and play like other children, physical therapy may be necessary to support their development.
Here are some signs that could indicate your child may need physical therapy:
- Limited Mobility
- Poor Posture
- Unusual Movement Patterns
- Delay in Motor Development
- Pain
- Muscle Weakness
- Balance Problems
The parent’s role in supporting therapy
In modern pediatric physiotherapy, the role of parents has become increasingly recognized for its importance. Parental involvement in therapy not only enhances the effectiveness of the treatment but also benefits both the child and the parent in several ways.
By incorporating therapy exercises into the child’s daily routine at home, parents can help reinforce the skills learned in therapy sessions, ensuring that progress made in the rehabilitation center translates into real-life improvements.
Additionally, when parents actively participate in therapy, they gain valuable insights into their child’s abilities and needs. This helps them become more confident and capable in caring for their child, reducing stress and boosting their sense of competence.
Typical Physical Therapy Sessions: What to Expect
During physical therapy, patients will receive personalized treatments designed to address specific physical challenges, typically focusing on improving functionality, strength, and mobility. The process begins with a thorough assessment to identify the issues needing attention.
The areas a therapist might evaluate include:
- Flexibility: Checking the ease of movement in your muscles and joints.
- Range of motion: Assessing how far you can move certain joints.
- Balance and Coordination: Ensuring stability during daily activities.
- Gait: Observing how you walk to identify issues affecting movement.
- Functional activities: Evaluating tasks like sitting and rising from a chair to understand how your body performs routine activities.
Each session will include stretches and exercises tailored to the patient’s needs, all aimed at restoring the body’s optimal movement and function.
Factors influencing treatment frequency
The frequency of physiotherapy sessions is influenced by several factors, ranging from the condition’s severity to patient goals and logistics.
Here are the main considerations:
- Nature and Severity of the Condition
- Acute vs. Chronic: Acute injuries may need 2-3 sessions per week, while chronic conditions might require less frequent sessions, such as weekly or biweekly.
- Post-Surgical Rehabilitation: Patients often start with 3-4 sessions weekly and decrease as they progress.
- Patient’s Goals
- Recovery vs. Maintenance: Quick recovery may need frequent therapy, while maintaining mobility and strength requires fewer sessions.
- Athletes: Often require intensive sessions for fast recovery.
- Response to Treatment: Quick responders may need fewer sessions over time, while others with slower progress require ongoing therapy.
- Patient Availability: Personal schedules and commitments can influence how often sessions are attended.
- Therapist’s Recommendations: Frequency is tailored to progress and reassessed regularly to adjust as needed.
- Insurance and Financial Constraints: Insurance policies may limit session numbers, affecting treatment plans.
- Home Exercise Programs: Adherence to home exercises may reduce the need for frequent in-clinic visits, as patients gain independence in managing their condition.
Ensuring Optimal Shoulder Health for Your Child
Ensuring optimal shoulder health for your child is crucial for their overall mobility, posture, and ability to engage in physical activities. A healthy shoulder joint supports a wide range of movements, including lifting, reaching, and throwing, which are vital for a child’s development.
Ways to support shoulder health:
Encourage Proper Posture: Promote a straight back and relaxed shoulders to prevent muscle imbalances.
Promote Physical Activity: Activities like swimming and throwing games strengthen and improve shoulder flexibility.
Balance Strength and Flexibility: Combine strength exercises with stretches to maintain shoulder health.
Avoid Overuse: Encourage a variety of activities to prevent repetitive strain on the shoulders.
Teach Safe Lifting: Teach proper lifting techniques and use both backpack straps to avoid strain.
Watch for Discomfort: Look for signs like pain or avoiding shoulder activities, and act early.
Consult a Professional: Seek help if your child has persistent pain or mobility issues.
Sources.
Philp, F., Faux-Nightingale, A., Woolley, S., de Quincey, E., & Pandyan, A. (2022). Evaluating the clinical decision making of physiotherapists in the assessment and management of paediatric shoulder instability. Physiotherapy, 115, 46-57.
Aldandan, F. H. A., Almajid, A. A., Alsaliman, A. Y. M., Alsulaman, A. Y. M., Alshamrani, A. S. S., Alghathan, S. K. E., … & Al Bahri, A. H. J. (2022). Pediatric Physiotherapy: Partnering With Pediatric Nurses For Optimal Child Development. Journal of Namibian Studies: History Politics Culture, 32, 2117-2126.