When to take your Child to an Athletic Therapist

What does an Athletic Therapist do?

An Athletic Therapist works with muscles, bones, and joints. So if you have muscles, bones, and joints you are our kind of human! Not specific enough? Every therapist has their own experiences, background, and expertise. Athletic Therapists are known for working with sports injuries but as I like to tell my clients if you roll your ankle playing soccer the injury and the rehab is not much different than if you roll your ankle stepping off the curb! The only difference? The exercises that are chosen to get you back to doing what you love.

If you’re a soccer player, your rehab should involve a soccer ball and movements that look like the thing you want to do.

If you just want to get back to being able to go for a walk, then your exercises should reflect that.

For more information on what Athletic Therapy is, please click here

Now that we have covered the base of What does an Athletic Therapist do? Let’s move on to more specific information on when to take your child to see an Athletic Therapist.

It could be a good time to take your child to an Athletic Therapist if:

• Your child is complaining about pain from an injury.

• Your child has pain and you don’t know why.

• Your child is complaining about pain during or after activity.

• Your child is having difficulty with a sport or a specific movement in a sport.

• Your child wants sport-specific training to improve in a sport.

Specific injuries kids and adolescents experience that an Athletic Therapist can treat:

The below list is non-exhaustive. If you are not sure if your child can see an Athletic Therapist, please feel free to contact me directly!

• Sever’s Disease,

• Little League Elbow,

• Osgood Schlatters,

• Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome,

• Growth Plate Injuries,

• Broken Bones & Fractures,

• Sprains & Strains,

• Bruises,

• Shin Splints, and

• Concussions.

What would an Athletic Therapy appointment look like for your child?

Appointments will be different for every child depending on their injury, personality, and the sports/activities they enjoy participating in. We want your children to:

• Enjoy their time in the clinic,

• Have a positive experience, and

• Be doing therapy that looks similar to the things they want to be doing.

I am not here to restrict their activity, I am here to modify their activity so that they can continue to do the things that they love.

How do I make the appointment fun for your child?

• By using games and movement to assess your child, moving from one thing to next as needed to keep their attention on the task at hand.

• By turning therapy and treatment into a game or a challenge, choosing activities they enjoy, and scrapping the activities they dislike.

The benefit of a fun therapy session?

• Your child will want to return to the clinic

• They will actually want to do their exercises, and

• They will get back to doing what they love faster because of their excitement in doing the exercises.

What about the appointment length?

I offer a variety of appointment lengths to suit your child’s needs (and attention span). Typically for children, I will suggest a 45-minute assessment and a 30-minute follow-up. Sounds too long? Let me know! I am happy to accommodate a schedule that works for you.

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Still have questions? Call and book in for a FREE 15-minute phone consult to discuss any further questions you may have!