Pediatric Physical Therapy Research Paper

As a physical therapist, one is able to make a difference in the lives of the patients he or she encounters. Whether they have a minor injury, such as a broken

Pediatric physical therapists work to help disabled children and their families grow and become stronger every day. For about a century now, doctors have been making a valiant effort to improve the lives of children. Though it is not the most popular practice, pediatric physical therapy is certainly important to the lives of millions. Since the beginning of pediatrics, new discoveries are constantly being made. Pediatric physical therapy has been making ground breaking developments and progressions in all of its elements since it became popular in the 1920’s.

Predominantly, a physical therapist must be compassionate and caring. My family members and I are accustomed to taking care of one another, regardless of the age or circumstance. Along with these age differences come different opinions; because of this, at a very young age, I quickly understood the meaning of empathy. I have become accustomed to practicing compassion at home, that it has now become second nature to me.

Physical therapy assistants are responsible for assisting the physical therapist in an interven-tion/treatment on patients of all ages. The treatments are only assessed to those who face the ina-bility to function in everyday living activities. This ranges from infants; pediatrics which is chil-dren and geriatrics which is elderly people (Mikulik, Tammy PT, DPT).

A day in the life of a physical therapist would consist of showing the patient stretches or exercises to treat the injury. Physical therapist also make plans specified for the patient to follow at the office and at home to recover quickly and properly. Also during the process they observe and evaluate the patients progress to help them know what else they may have to do to recover (“Summary”).

I have previously worked with physical therapists while I was a behavioral therapist at an autism clinic. Some of my patients required a multi-dimensional approach with many specialties including PT, OT, and SLP. Prior to this experience I assumed physical therapists had a very limited role in the health care setting. I thought their only focus was on the elderly and post-surgical patients, but then I realized it is a much broader specialty. Physical therapists can also specialize in neurological disorders, special needs children, and many other aspects of the patient’s overall health.

Physical Therapists have a very important job,to make sure that you recover faster from an injury/sickness.Being a PT (Physical Therapists) requires many skills in the education/training and important qualities to be successful at their job.When PTs go to college it's not all fun and games.A Physical

Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists assist with selecting, fitting, adapting and training children and families in the use of orthotics (splints), prosthetics (artificial limbs) and special equipment (walkers, crutches, wheelchairs) to compensate for difficulties with movement. PTs and OTs also modify exercises and activities for home, school and community enabling each child to participate more fully in life’s experiences.

Physical therapists are members of a health care team, specially trained to improve movement and flinction, relieve pain, and expand movement potential. Through evaluation and individualized treatment programs, physical therapists can both treat existing problems and provide preventive health care for people with a variety of needs (Physical Therapy-Improving 1). Physical therapists are very knowledgeable and skillful concerning the human body. Physical therapy is a complex, but rewarding field to pursue as a career. Specialization, working conditions, job outlook, salaries, and education requirements need to be taken into consideration when contemplating a career as a physical therapist.

A physical therapist is a professional who helps injured or sick people improve their movement and manage their pain. According to author Olga Dreeben from the University of North Texas “The creation of physical therapist is centered on two major events in U.S history: The Poliomyelitis epidemics and the negative effects of World War 1 and World War 2”.

Pediatric physical therapy was one of the practice settings that I wanted to become further educated in. This being said, I was not very familiar with this setting prior to researching this topic. After reading, something that I found appealing about the pediatric setting is that it is a collaborate effort between physical therapist, child, and family. I also found it intriguing that pediatric physical therapists assist children throughout age-related movement stages as they develop. The thing that I thought would be difficult at times is communicating with parents. I believe that in this type of practice setting, interacting with parents when they do not feel their child is progressing would be extremely stressful. Although some physical

Pediatric occupational therapy is designed to help children that suffer from physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. The skills learned in this type of therapy allow children to develop healthy habits, which will help them live happier and more independently. Depending on the specific needs of your child, your child may undergo a variety of different therapies. Some of the more common types of pediatric occupational therapy include:

Physical Therapist helps maintain and restore a patients mobility or function and limit their physical disabilities of patients with disease or injuries. They work in many environments like hospitals, outpatient, clinics or sports and fitness facilities. A full time PT works forty hours a week their jobs can be labor intensive with moving equipment or patients or help them move or bend for their exercises. Physical therapist usually go to school for six to seven years. Physical Therapist is an effective career goal to help patients restore there mobility and function back to their daily activates (ExploreHealthCareers).

Pediatrics in the field of occupational therapy is the development of child over time. A pediatric occupational therapist work with children, infants, toddlers, and everyone from ages 0-21 who are diagnosed with autism, hemiplegia, stroke, cerebral palsy, spinal-cord injuries, down syndrome, and other medical conditions to participate in daily life activities or occupations. For a child, their occupation can be referring to developmentally appropriate activities that support their health, well-being, and development of an individual such as facilitating movement to sit, crawl, eat, bath, drink, wash, or dress and walk independently. Pediatrics in occupational therapy work under hospitals, rehabilitations, private practice, school systems, home health services, mental health care, early intervention facilities, and both inpatient and outpatient centers. While working with the children’s in the facilities, therapist aim at the big performance areas and they work with their families, peers, parents/primary caregivers, and teachers to endorse active participation in activities or occupations that are meaningful to them.

Physical Therapy is the treatment of disease, injury or deformity by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment, and exercise rather then by drug or surgery. Physical therapist are highly-educated, licensed health care professionals who help patients reduce the pain they have and help improve or restore their mobility. PTs work in many different setting including high schools, hospitals, outpatient Clinique, etc. To become a physical therapist I'll need a graduate degree- either a masters or clinical doctorate - from an accredited physical therapy program before taking the national licensure exam. There is currently 199 colleges and universities nationwide that support 212 accredited professions physical therapy programs.