Essential Assessment and Treatment Strategies for Pediatric Orthopedic Dysfunction

Crystal Duda, MSPT

Online Course

Includes all course content in digital format

Prerequisites Required
6 hours - Provided by Summit Professional Education

Item: physi-ONDEMANDCORTCD1

Description

There are approximately 200 hospitals for children in theUS. For many families who cannot access their rehab services, they must rely on local outpatient clinics to provide therapy services for their children. Pediatric orthopedics is a challenging field relying on knowledge of developmental norms and evidence-based treatment intervention. Successful outcomes in pediatrics depend on clinicians prescribing customized stretching, strengthening, and positioning strategies that children will be successful at performing.

This one of a kind workshop will review the developmental progression of motor skills and supply clinicians with ideas and resources to implement immediately with their pediatric patients. Attendees will also tune up their observation skills related to posture, functional mobility, and gait to help understand the need for further referrals to medical specialties such as orthopedics, neurology, and rheumatology. As practicing rehabilitation professionals working with young patients, when outcomes count, understanding and treating children respecting their age and stage, instead of as "little adults" is everything.

Highlights

  • Transform your clinical decision making to help pediatric patients with orthopedic diagnoses including best practices for torticollis, scoliosis and gait abnormalities
  • Assess developmental norms for functional movement patterns, joint alignment, and mobility to build better, more effective treatment plans specific to pediatric patients
  • Refresh your treatment repertoire with the most effective positioning, stretching, and strengthening exercises that are the foundation for successful pediatric home programs
  • Experience hands-on labs to learn kinesiotaping, elastic strapping, and rigid taping to restore, support, and facilitate typical alignment of the lower extremity in children
  • Learn time-tested tricks of the trade to help improve a child's comfort level and cooperation

Learning Objectives

  • Differentiate motor skill progression in the first year of life and recognize the impact torticollis has on musculoskeletal and sensorimotor development.
  • Utilize skill checklists (HELP and AAP sensory motor checklist) as resources to supplement decision making for children regarding treatment and referral for further testing or services.
  • Examine the role joint malalignment and lack of core strength plays as a contributing factor in gait deviations and overuse injuries in young athletes for return to play occupation.
  • Implement specific musculoskeletal assessment techniques to identify joint restriction and muscle shortening in order to discern proximity to age-related norms.
  • Demonstrate understanding of bony landmarks and how to apply kinesiotaping and leukotape to facilitate lateral femoral rotation and treat patella alta and Osgood- Schlatter.
  • Evaluate supportive strategies in the clinic environment and within individual treatment sessions to foster successful pediatric treatments and facilitate participation in activities and ADLs.
  • Compare characteristics of exercises appropriate for strengthening children in the area of core muscles, hip lateral rotators, and hip extensors.

Course Content

Essential Assessment and Treatment Strategies for Pediatric Orthopedic Dysfunction
SCORM Package
Next Steps
Module
  1. Overview of First Year Typical and Atypical Motor Development
    1. 0-6 months: Supine, side, and prone
    2. 7-12 months: Sitting, active weight shift, quad, standing
    3. Prematurity and adjusted age
    4. HELP checklist
  2. Best Practices for Children with Torticollis
    1. Assessments including developmental milestone functional testing
    2. Treatment strategies - Birth to 6 months
    3. Treatment - 6 to 12 months
  3. Best Practices for Gait and Lower Extremity Development
    1. In-toeing
    2. Out-toeing
    3. Toe walking
  4. Best Practices for Children with Scoliosis
    1. Assessment
    2. Treatment
    3. Precautions
  5. Best Practices for Other Common Pediatric Dysfunctions
    1. Posture and core related issues
    2. Muscular Dystrophy
    3. Osgood-Schlatter Disease
    4. Dystonia
    5. Ataxia
    6. Tremor
  6. Assessment and Treatment Strategies Using Strengthening, Stretching, and Positioning Exercises
    1. Core
    2. Shoulder girdle
    3. Lower extremity
      1. Hip extension
      2. Lateral rotation
      3. Abduction
    4. Ankle and foot
  7. Assessment and Treatment Strategies Using Kinesiology Taping, Rigid Taping, and Elastic Strapping
    1. Hip anteversion - Ryder's measurement
      1. Kinesiotaping to facilitate lateral femoral rotation
      2. Tenso wrapping to facilitate lateral femoral rotation
    2. Hamstring length
    3. Patellar mobility
    4. Patellar angle
      1. Kinesiotaping and/or Leukotaping to address patella alta
      2. Calf length - Dorsiflexion with knee extended
    5. Hands on Lab
  8. Supporting Pediatric Patients and Their Families
    1. Simple treatment area modifications
    2. Treatment structure
    3. Home programs
    4. Facilitating ADL performance and return to play
Crystal Duda, MSPT is a physical therapist practicing in pediatrics for nineteen years. She has integrated pediatric-specific goniometry and joint architecture assessment techniques, along with taping in her practice for over ten years. She is the owner and head physical therapist of an outpatient pediatric private practice, Bounce Physical Therapy, PC in Liverpool, New York. Patients at Bounce are treated for torticollis, scoliosis via the Schroth method, sensory integration and modulation impairments, gait abnormalities, functional impairments related to developmental disabilities, chronic pain, sports injuries and juvenile arthritis. Her clinical practice also includes wheelchair, adaptive equipment and orthotic and bracing solutions for children and young adults. She has served as an Early Intervention provider, as a contract physical therapist in local school districts and in traditional outpatient physical therapy offices. She served as a speaker at Pediatric Grand Rounds at Golisano Children's Hospital in Syracuse, New York and local pediatric and orthopedic medical practices to help educate clinicians about pediatric physical therapy beyond early intervention and non-surgical treatment options to successfully treat orthopedic injuries and pain syndromes in patients younger than sixteen. She also teaches a six-hour course on Pediatric Orthopedic Dysfunction for Summit. She earned her master's degree in physical therapy from D'Youville College, Buffalo, New York.

DISCLOSURES

FINANCIAL: Crystal Duda is compensated as owner of Bounce Physical Therapy and is compensated by Summit as an instructor.

NONFINANCIAL: Crystal Duda has no nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

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