Developmental Delay

Infants and young children may experience developmental delay due to a number of factors. Our therapists are experts at developmental evaluations and establishing plans of care customized to each patient's needs. Each plan is unique to the individual and is based on patient and family centered goals.

Torticollis & Plagiocephaly

Torticollis is a condition of the neck in which the child’s head tilts toward one shoulder and often the chin rotates toward the opposite shoulder.  It occurs when muscles in the child’s neck, most often the Sternocleidomastoid (SCM), is tight. This postural condition may impact postural alignment of the entire body. Whether just the neck or the entire body is affected, it can affect the way baby learns new motor skills. Physical therapy plays an important role in individualized treatment of torticollis, including stretching, strengthening, motor skill development, myofascial release, visual motor development, and overall postural symmetry. Torticollis should be treated by a skilled professional who provides manual therapy interventions to address the restrictions and follows up with neuromuscular re-education to promote progression of motor patterns with good postural alignment. The sooner baby starts Physical therapy, the greater opportunity for improvement.

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Torticollis is often accompanied by flatness on the head. 1 in 10 babies present with "Flat Head Syndrome" or medically termed Plagiocephaly. "Physical therapy is recommended over repositioning education alone for reducing prevalence of infantile positional plagiocephaly in infants," according to The Congress of Neurological Surgeons, (Flannery, A.M. et al, Summary: Evidence Based Guidelines for the treatment of pediatric positional plagiocephaly). Earlier physical therapy intervention renders optimal results, faster. Helmet therapy is recommended after conservative management (physical therapy) or in more extreme cases.

Ankyloglossia Bodywork

Babies with tethered oral tissues (TOTs) often have associated myofascial restrictions of the head, neck and body. This tightness can influence a baby's feeding skills and efficiency, postural control, motor pattern development, and even breathing among other things. Physical Therapy to address these restrictions is an important part of comprehensive management of TOTs, including pre and post frenectomy bodywork.

Our therapists utilize manual therapy interventions including myofascial release and gentle mobilizations followed by neuromuscular facilitation for optimal movement patterns within good postural alignment. This is where anatomical structure and function are integrally correlated and we strive to optimize this dynamic in a developing baby.

Gait Abnormalities

TOE WALKERS 101: Toe walking is when kiddos favor walking on the balls of their feet, without heel contact (or brief heel contact) and it’s important to know that kiddos do NOT grow out of it without intervention. Initiating therapy right away (no more than 3 months of consistent toe walking) is key to success. Older kiddos (4+ y/o) or > 6 months of toe walking typically will require more intensive therapy and use of interventions like ankle orthotics to correct this atypical gait pattern.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS:

1. Back/knee and/or ankle pain

2. Withdrawal from physical activity (because it hurts)

3. Inability to perform skills like jumping, stairs, squatting

4. Abnormal muscle formation (large calves)

5. Heel cord tightness with loss of range of motion at the ankles

6. Foot deformities

WHEN TO CONTACT: If you parent gut is telling you something isn’t right, it probably isn’t right…trust yourself. Also, if your kiddo has one or more of the following:

• Walking on his/her toes >80% of the day

• Your little one has been walking >3 months and still on toes

• Your kiddo is over 2 y/o

• You see loss of motion or even inability to walk of stand on heels.

Manual therapy and myofascial release can be beneficial for promoting alignment, circulation, aiding digestion, reducing pain, and reducing muscular restrictions. Infant manual therapy also promotes relaxation and often improves nursing/feeding. The delicate sensory and muscular systems of an infant require expert, gentle touch. A therapist can provide infant manual therapy and also teach you in the healing power of massage for your baby.

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Many babies presenting with tongue and/or lip tie, ankyloglossia, will benefit from gentle myofascial release, ankyloglossia bodywork, throughout the body in order to improve latch, postural control for feeding, and general motor control for eating efficiency.

You can have a positive impact on your baby’s motor skill development, posture, head shape. Typical infant development occurs when babies are provided opportunities to learn new skills. These opportunities can be incorporated into the way you hold and carry your baby, feed your baby, and spend playtime with your baby - purposeful play! You are already doing these things, but could you tweak it just a bit to give your baby even better opportunities to progress their motor skills?

We provide individual and group wellness sessions from birth to toddler age where we discuss age appropriate motor skills and strategies to help baby learn and develop new skills. Practitioner will use expertise of typically developing infants and young children to guide you in optimal positioning for play and developmental progression.

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Please contact us to schedule your private or group session or learn more about scheduled group developmental wellness sessions. Feel good about the opportunities you are providing your baby and let's get together and play with purpose!