Pain is a complicated, often debilitating feeling that can have a major impact on a child’s physical and mental well-being. The Cook Children’s Pain Management Program offers a comprehensive range of services for patients suffering from acute or chro...
On your mark. Get set. Pow!The white smoke from the official's starter gun rises in the air as the runners sprint around the track.Two, four, six, eight...The competitive cheerleaders chant before they begin their routine.There’s dead silence. Then t...
Walking into 13-year-old Joey Belles’ hospital room, it’s hard to miss the abundance of sloths. There are stuffed sloths on tables and sloth stickers on the walls. The sloth is Joey’s spirit animal, though you wouldn’t know it by looking at him now.
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As you watch your little one walking or running during play, you may ask yourself, “Is my child falling too much?”
Children initially begin to walk between the ages of 12 and 15 months. In the early stages of walking, you may notice your child “wa...
Even if you have absolutely zero interest in NBA basketball, odds are you heard about Kevin Durant’s season ending (and potentially life altering) injury on Monday night.
I’ll be honest. I haven’t paid much attention to the NBA Finals this year. I...
“We try to put her on her tummy to play, but she just cries! It breaks my heart!”
I hear this almost daily as a pediatric physical therapist. However, tummy time is more important than ever these days.
Our babies today tend to have more time on...
Running is an excellent form of exercise and is growing in popularity. With an increasing frequency of inactivity and childhood obesity, promoting physical activity in kids is extremely important. Kids have a natural desire to move around and play. R...
It seems like every year as baseball season comes into full swing we open up the paper and read about more and more big league pitchers that are out for the season to undergo ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction, better known as “Tommy John...
“Sit up straight!”
“Stop Slouching!”
Why is my kid’s posture so poor?
THE PROBLEM
Do you get sick and tired of telling your child to sit up straight? Do you ever wonder why so many kids these days have slouched posture and often complain ...
You are rushing your kids off to a practice, a game or an event during the school year. Even your vacation seems rushed. Why not enjoy the summer? One of our physical therapists gives some helpful tips on relieving stress and learning to relax.
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Summer is just right around the corner and swim season is fast approaching. For some kids this will be their main sport, for others this will be just one of many. Swimming is one of the safest sports to participate in, however too much of a good thin...
Before we know it, spring will be here. Each spring, we see plenty of signs advertising sports and activities for kids, but do we really need to take toddlers to soccer, T-Ball, gymnastics and swimming?
The answer is complicated.
Yes, it's very...
“Use your core!” “Sit up straight!” If you spend any time with kids and teenagers, you hear these phrases all the time. It seems like posture and core strengthening are such hot topics these days. But what is the core anyways, and why is it so import...
Although dynamic stretching is important for everyone, it may have an even greater importance for young, growing athletes. Bones typically grow at a faster rate than muscles so it’s important to improve the muscles flexibility to allow pain-free moti...
Recently, after a post from Justin Smith, M.D., on handwriting, a reader wrote in to ask:“Do you have any information on a little older child who has dysgraphia? He is 11 ½ years old, he is also a left-handed writer and eater, but does most sports ri...
Imagine you are a healthy, 16-year old boy and then in less than a week everything changes. That's what happened to Tyler Rouse. Over three days, a staph infection changed everything for Tyler. He became paralyzed, required an operation from neurosur...
By now, most kids have a mile long holiday wish list, but it may consist of toys they have only seen on TV commercials or in toy catalogs. Which toys are actually good for their learning and development?There are so many different toys available thes...
As adults, the idea of stretching before and after activity is common knowledge. What isn’t common is the idea of helping our kids stretch after play and activity. Toddlers and young children are moving constantly and exercising their muscles as they...
These days Avery’s schedule is pretty busy. We often joke that she needs a personal assistant to manage all of her activities. Being a typical girl with the incredible ability to multi-task at a young age, Avery is working on a multitude of things ri...
Maybe you’ve noticed your child on their toes as he or she learns to stand or your child walking on the balls of their feet. Have you wondered if it was normal? Whether or not they’re going to be a prima ballerina? Let’s talk about toe walking, some ...
October is National Physical Therapy Month, a month set aside to recognize physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) for their roles in health care.