If your child needs physical therapy, they’ll work with a pediatric physical therapist (PT). Typically, pediatric PTs treat kids under 18, from newborns to teenagers. They see children for a variety of different reasons, including bone/muscle issues, sports-related injuries, or genetic, brain, spine, or nerve disorders. PTs have years of training, and some even earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.
Pediatric PTs help kids improve their range of motion, strength, flexibility, and movement patterns. The goal? Help children move their bodies how and when they want to the best of their abilities. Pediatric PTs help make everyday activities easier for kids.
Adolescents who participate in organized sports are particularly susceptible to accidents and overuse injuries since their bones, muscles and tendons are still developing. During this period of tumultuous growth, adolescents often add on tons of high-impact sports like basketball, football, volleyball, soccer and lacrosse with little to no rest between seasons. Some even play multiple sports or on multiple teams at the same time, putting a lot of strain on their growing bodies. We empower adolescents with the knowledge of proper body mechanics and give them a realistic recovery time to prevent injury.
Dr Weiss, who is a specialist in adolescent sports rehab and injury prevention, works with each patient to create an individual home exercise and conditioning program tailored both to the changing bodies of adolescent athletes as well as the specific sport(s) they play.
We always provide family education as well so that the entire family is involved and able to support the rehab process. If your teenage athlete has any of the following issues, adolescent sports physical therapy can help:
