Tag: core pediatric physical therapy

Core Stability: Pushing

 

“My son’s core is so floppy, he really can’t push open the doors when we go to the library.  There is no force through his arms.  Now that he is older, this is stopping him from doing quite a few things”.

Pushing is an essential skill.   To go shopping, a cart must be pushed from aisle to aisle.   A dresser drawer can’t stay open; it must be pushed back into position. We push all day long without much thought about our action, whether it is tidying up the kitchen drawers, pushing a vacuum, going through a revolving door, or moving furniture back into its place. Continue reading “Core Stability: Pushing”

Core Stability: Pulling

“My daughter has low tone.  What can I do to get her core muscles working? When she is trying to pull open a heavy door, she can’t get any stability and she just gives up and asks us to do it for her”

Are you wanting to work on core stability with a young child? Strengthening is possible, but the way you go about it is quite different from adults.   Instead of counting repetitions, use the context of play.

Imagine that we are stranded on a tropical island!  We have just caught the biggest fish in the sea and we are pulling it to shore! There is a long rope with just the right amount of weight tied to the other end.  That doesn’t have you?  OK, I am in the water and you are pulling me back to shore!  The story is yours to create: castles, sleeping dragons, stubborn donkeys.  Have fun with the stories!   Once children come up with a story and get hooked into the imaginative play, they don’t realize they are working themselves into a sweat! Continue reading “Core Stability: Pulling”