At the last Capitol District Physical Therapy Association meeting, my colleague, Lisa Mangino, PT, DPT, PCS, C/NDT, PRC, offered a terrific presentation on how she uses principles of Postural Restoration with children.
Lisa reminded participants that the human body is inherently asymmetrical and is biased toward patterns of extension. Sensory awareness of posture, the ground, and the environment contribute significantly to the development of movement patterns and postures. These concepts apply to humans of all ages, however, in her talk we explored these ideas in the context of pediatric physical therapy.
Lisa referred to children with scoliosis, those who walk on their toes, who appear to have difficulty with upright stability or have difficulty sitting still. Some of these children have a hard time standing on one leg or alternating their feet, as when climbing, skipping or stepping and many of them have breathing disorders. Other children will have more involved conditions making coordination and posture a clear challenge. Lisa offered an image of a child that demonstrates a typical pattern of postural instability and poor motor control.
In this image, we can see a child that “hangs” onto her joints for stability, her knees are locked out, her pelvis is rotated forward, her low back is overextended, her rib cage is elevated and her head is forward. This is a child that will likely be challenged by human movements and perhaps injured by strenuous activities as her joints tend to rest in vulnerable positions. Lisa showed us how she incorporates play and creative activities to help these children gain core control and improve joint position.
This child is holding a safe, core activating posture as she blows little objects towards her feet (the goal posts!) through a straw. The inclusion of respiratory muscles for core muscle development is a foundational part of Postural Restoration.
Everyone loves Twister!!! Lisa works with a child on motor control and core muscle activation and she thought she was just having fun!
We got to see an amazing before and after video of a child that had tremendous difficulty alternating her feet during skipping. In the video taken 9 months later, this kid looked terrific! It was lovely to see such dramatic changes take place that we feel so strongly will lead to healthier ongoing development and finally healthier adults.
If you would like to speak with Lisa about a child in your life, and or have your child evaluated for posture or movement challenges, feel free to give us a call at: 919-932-7266.
