Physical Therapy For Kids
Has your child been complaining about their neck or back hurting? While neck and back pain is common among adults, you may be surprised to learn that children experience it too.
Neck or back pain is often temporary and clears without treatment within a day or two. However, sometimes neck or back pain is chronic and can affect a child’s quality of life, social activities, and education.
Neck or back pain can result from many things, including rough play, carrying a heavy backpack, or looking down at screens for extended periods.
Our experienced physical therapists utilize the latest technology and gentle rehab therapies to restore pain-free movement to patients of all ages.
Some of the benefits of physical therapy for kids include:
Finding the root cause: It can sometimes be hard for a child to know why they are experiencing pain or discomfort. A physical therapist can identify the cause of your child’s neck or back pain and work to correct it.
Treating pain without medication: Over-the-counter pain relievers don’t treat the cause of neck or back pain. Ans most prescription pain medications are not intended for children and can have dangerous side effects. Physical therapy helps naturally reduce neck and back pain by using exercises and manual therapy techniques, avoiding medications.
Avoiding long-term problems: Parents need to know that neck and back pain in childhood can grow into a chronic pain issue in adulthood. Imbalances in posture, curvatures in the spine, tightness, and muscle restrictions can magnify as a child grows.
Our physical therapists and nurse practitioner have years of experience in treating a wide variety of pain conditions in both children and adults, including:
- Head & neck pain
- Back pain & sciatica
- Joint pain
- Sports injuries
- Auto accident injuries
Most insurance plans cover our care; no doctor’s referral is needed.
If your child is in pain, don’t ignore it. Contact us for a complimentary consultation.
Sports Injuries In Kids
Is your child an athlete? It is estimated that there are approximately 60 million youths aged 6-18 who participate in organized sports. Unfortunately, of those 60 million, approximately 40%-50% will sustain a sports injury. If your child is feeling pain from a sports injury, Wellspring Health Center can help provide relief and recovery – so your child can get back to doing the sport they love!
Sports injuries can typically fall into two categories: acute or overuse. A specific incident, such as a sprain, strain, fracture, or tear, causes acute injuries. Excessive repetitive movements over time cause overuse injuries. Some overuse injuries include frozen shoulder, flexor tendinitis, shin splints, tennis elbow, and golfer’s/Little Leaguer’s elbow.
Benefits of Physical Therapy For Kids
At Wellspring Health Center, our treatments for back pain, joint pain, and sports injuries in kids are conservative and non-invasive, aimed at relieving pain and promoting healing. Our highly trained Eden Prairie, MN physical therapists incorporate specialized methods into their treatment plans as needed, such as gentle manual therapy and myofascial release. They also provide patients with light stretching and exercise plans to improve the range of motion and overall function in the affected area.
It is important to note that pediatric treatments are not the same as adult treatments. Children have different biomechanics than adults because they are still physically and mentally growing. Each pediatric sports injury treatment plan is unique, considering the child’s age, level of physical activity, and continuing physical and mental development.
The overall goal of physical therapy is healing and prevention. In addition to treating the injury, our physical therapists will help strengthen the affected area to prevent additional injuries from occurring. Our physical therapists will also provide your child with helpful warm-up and cool-down techniques for his or her sport to lower their risk of sustaining another injury.
Contact Wellspring Health Center to get started!
If your child suffers from back or joint pain or has sustained a sports injury, schedule a complimentary consultation with Wellspring Health Center today at Eden Prairie, MN. We’ll help diagnose the issue and restore your child’s pain-free, active lifestyle.