Physical therapy for walking abnormalities

Physical therapy is quite often recommended by doctors to the parents of children who experience certain problems with walking due to an illness, disease or some disability. Kids who suffered from an injury can also benefit a lot from physical therapy. The therapists will help children to fell less pain due that is present after an injury. With the help of physical therapists the children should be able to do all the daily activities that they did before they got injured.

What is physical therapy?

When a child goes on a physical therapy treatment, the physical therapist will teach that child how to perform certain exercises that will enable them to bring back their strength and range of motion. In addition to this, the exercises will teach a child how not to suffer from those injuries again. In every situation where the child cannot move properly and that does not allow him or her to perform the normal everyday activities, physical therapy can be of assistance. Physical therapy is usually recommended for children who suffered from sports injuries, delays in development, cerebral paralysis, certain genetic disorders, orthopedic injuries or disabilities, heart and lung conditions, various defects that occur at birth, acute trauma, muscle disease, limb deficiencies and head injuries.

The job of physical therapist is to better movement, make the skills that are needed for the completion of everyday activities more powerful and return the strength to the patient with the help of certain treatments. The usually treatment involves the therapist showing the child how to perform certain developmental activities like crawling and walking and certain flexibility exercises that are supposed to better the range of motion. The child will also be guided through different balance and coordination activities, adaptive play, safety and prevention programs and even aquatic therapy. Therapists show the children how no to get injured again and better circulation in the area of the injury with the use of heat, cold, massage and ultrasound.

When the child is brought to the therapists for the first time, the professional will measure the flexibility and strength of the child, look at the way the child walks and runs, see the problems that may exist, talk to other experts about the best possible treatment option and tell the parents what exercises the child should do at home. The physical therapist will also decide if the child is ok to participate in sport activities.

Can physical therapy help in walking issues?

If someone is experiencing walking patterns that cannot be controlled or are not considered to be usual, that person is considered to be suffering from walking abnormalities. There are a lot of reasons why these abnormalities may occur but they are mainly seen because of a certain disease or injury to the legs, feet, brain, spinal cord or even inner ear.

Every person has a pattern of the way he or she walks and that is medically known as the gait. A lot of various walking difficulties develop without the person’s ability to control them. Some physical condition is the cause of a majority of these problems. The experts have named some of these abnormalities that are seen most often. A person with a stiff posture, where his or her head and neck are bent forward is considered to be suffering from propulsive gait. Spastic gait is a condition when a person is dragging his or her foot due to a contraction of long muscle on one side. Those who waddle when they walk suffer from waddling gait. This type of gait can occur both early and late in life. Apart from these, scissor and steppage gaits exist as well.

The doctors are sure about the majority of causes in almost all cases of walking abnormalities. Causes that are seen most often include arthritis of the leg, conversion disorder, various foot problems like corn, ingrown toenail, wart, skin sore or swelling, fracture, infection, injury, legs that are not the same length, shin splints, shoe problems and tendonitis. In some patients even torsion of the testis can lead to abnormal gait. All of these causes are considered to be general. However, the experts have also discovered the cause of specific gaits.

According to the doctors, if the actual cause of the gait is treated that will better the whole situation of the gait. Both short-term and long-term gait disorders benefit a lot from physical therapy. However, physical therapy alone is not enough in some situations like when conversion disorder is present along with abnormal gait. In those situations the help and support of friends and family is of great significance.

Family members should encourage the patients to be as independent as much as they can. Going on walks with the patients is vital as they tend to fall a lot due to poor balance. Helping any way they can when the patient is performing physical exercises at home should be done.