For a child with some form of injury or delay in development, simple tasks can be a huge, real challenge. At Let’s Grow Pediatrics, our pediatric physical therapists work with children under 18 to help children control and move their bodies to the best of their ability, making daily activities easier for them in the long run. We work with children in Edmond, Oklahoma, to help parents figure out treatment plans that work for them in a loving, supportive environment.
What is Intensive Physical Therapy?
Intensive physical therapy provides children the drive they need to progress in their development. Intensive physical therapy works through the repetition of gross motor movements involving daily activities such as sitting, rolling, crawling, walking, and playing, and it helps your children master those movements to the best of their ability.
What do intensives entail:
Sessions are comprised of a warm-up, strengthening exercises, and functional tasks.
- Warm-up: massage, myofascial release, and stretching. The warm-up is intended to prepare the body for several hours of work.
- Strengthening: We utilize a combination of the Universal Exercise Unit (UEU), Dynamic Movement Intervention exercises and overground developmental exercises.
Intensive program frequency and duration:
- 3-4 weeks
- 3-5 days per week
- 1-2 hours per session (depending on age and tolerance)
- Custom schedules are available upon request.
Benefits of intensive therapy:
- REPETITION!/Training principle: During a session of intensive therapy, children are exposed to numerous repetitions of exercise, developmental movements, and functional skills. Kids with neuromuscular deficits require this focused approach to master developmental skills such as sitting, crawling, or walking. Repetition gives the brain an opportunity to learn or re-learn using the theory of neuroplasticity to form new neural pathways.
- With consecutive days in therapy, children can build on gains made daily and achieve the next level of independent functioning.
- A session of intensive therapy often helps a child master goals that would typically require a year of traditional therapy to achieve.
- Intensive therapy has also proven beneficial when a child has reached a plateau in traditional therapy or after another intervention (Botox, serial casting, surgery).
What is the practical application of intensive therapy?
If you wanted to train for a marathon, would you run 1 mile, 1x per week for a year? NO- you would train several days a week and build on gains you made the previous day. We are asking these kids to run a developmental marathon, let’s give them the best training protocol to set them up for success!
Let’s Grow Pediatrics was created to meet the needs for intensive physical therapy services and is located in Edmond, Oklahoma. As a Pediatric Board-Certified Specialty Clinic, Let’s Grow Pediatrics has become a growing clinic serving children through multiple sessions per week, each with modified plans that meet children’s specific needs and goals.
