There are literally thousands of reasons why a child of any age may be referred to a physiotherapist for a long or short-term course of treatment. From minor accidents to major injuries and right through to longer-term health conditions, childhood physiotherapists play an incredibly important role in the development of tens of thousands of children up and down the UK.
As a parent, it is of course nothing short of devastating to find yourself in a position where your own child is in need of physiotherapy. No parent wants to see their child struggling with a health or development issue of any kind – especially one that makes them feel something superfluous when it comes to the treatment process. Physiotherapy is a complicated subject and therefore often makes parents feel as if they are somewhat excluded from helping their child, though as is the case with al form of therapy across the board, there’s plenty a parent can do to aid the treatment process at home.
A Part of the Process
It’s natural to assume that it will come down to the physiotherapist and the physiotherapist alone to take control of the child’s treatment and facilitate the best possible result. In reality however this isn’t the case…in fact it’s somewhat to the contrary. The reason being that when you actually think about how much time the physiotherapist spends with your child compared to the time you spend with them, it’s your influence that will count the most.
Along with carrying out a series of exercises and demonstrations using specialist equipment, it’s likely that the physiotherapist will pen a series of daily exercises and activities that should be practiced away from the office. This is where the parental touch comes into the equation as it’s really no secret that getting any child to get up and be active isn’t the easiest of jobs these days, so what can you do to motivate your own kids to do the right thing?
Physiotherapy is rarely fun after all, so what can you do as a parent to aid their treatment and make sure they stick to it?
Ask the Right Questions
Well, first of all it’s crucial to ask all of the right questions to the physiotherapist in the first place in order to make sure you don’t steer your child in the wrong direction. For example, you’ll need to make sure you’re comprehensively aware of the kinds of activities they and cannot do during any phase of the treatment. You’ll also need to know daily minimum and maximum activity times, along with anything specific your child should or should not wear while taking part. On the whole, it’s a case of arming yourself with comprehensive knowledge of their condition and the treatment process as a whole – the more you know, the more you can help.
Lead By Example
According to the experts at www.integratedtreatmentservices.co.uk, one of the biggest mistakes any parent can make is not practicing as they preach when it comes to exercise. Across the UK, it’s unnervingly common for parents to lecture their children on the importance of getting outside and away from the screen, while they themselves spend every free hour of every day doing little more than stare at the television or into their smartphones. The simple fact of the matter here is that kids should at all times be led by example – something that’s especially important if the child has been prescribed a course of treatment with respect to a specific condition. You cannot expect them to get up and be active unless you yourself are willing to lead by example and get involved – it’s the old ‘monkey see, monkey do’ analogy brought to life.
Make it Enjoyable
The moment you approach even a single element of your child’s treatment process as a chore, chances are they’ll lose all motivation to continue. Kids respond to their parents’ responses instinctively, which in turn means that if you at least pretend that their exercises are the most fun activities on the face of the Earth, they’re bound to respond better than had you made it clear you pretty much cannot stand doing them.
Reward Progress
Last but not least, never overlook the power or the importance of ‘greasing the wheels’ slightly when it comes to such matters, which in this instance means ensuring a fair reward is always offered for efforts invested. Of course the true reward will be the child’s healthy development, but for the time being it’s more proactive and effective to offer them something more tangible each time they clearly put their all into their course of treatment.