Sofia's Physiotherapy Journey

In this enlightening blog post, we delve into the heartwarming journey of Sofia, a remarkable young child on a path to discovery, growth, and newfound independence. Join us as we follow the dedicated efforts of our skilled physiotherapist, Felicia, who has been working tirelessly to support Sofia through our Home Paediatric Physiotherapy Services. Together, they've embarked on a transformative voyage, unlocking milestones and fostering development, all within the comfort of Sofia's home. Read on to witness the incredible progress and heartening stories that exemplify the impact of our specialized care and commitment to improving lives.

Watch Video here: https://bit.ly/sofiasphysiotherapyjourney

Video Transcript

"I would like to share with you a current client that I have and her physiotherapy journey. I started therapy with her when she was 16 months old. She is now 20 months old. When I first met her, she could not sit properly and was not reaching any of her milestones. She was found to have two abnormal chromosomes, but all formal tests for neuromuscular conditions returned negative results. Her parents first goal for her was to teach her to sit independently, and then work through milestone by milestone, so that she could play with other children in the future and not get too left behind. As you can see, she could not sit properly and was wildly swaying from side to side in the first snaps. She had a very prevalent head preference to the right and minimal head and core control as well.

We practiced proprioceptive and sensory types of exercises, which helped improve her ability to react and feel her body in space. As you can see, here she is sitting on a spiky ball which is helping to do this.

I then started teaching her the outstretched hand reflex when falling to the side, and how to bear weight through her hands. You can see there are two different objects. One is a semicircular wedge and the other is a foam mat, which is teaching her to feel different surfaces while also bearing her weight through each hand. I also worked on teaching her how to side sit correctly and put her hands down while she is in this position.

I went her off, holding my hand and then sitting up by herself with some back support so that she had some ability to sit up by herself eventually in the future. You can see in these snaps here that she is now able to bear weight through her hand with the outstretched reflex. You can see in the two different photos one she is more slouched and the other she is sitting up straight and able to bear her body weight and adjust her posture. You can now say much better posture in these snaps, and she is able to bear much more weight through her body. It is impressive to see that she is now able to shift her body over to one side, and even drink a bottle of milk while she is sitting in the chair.

I also helped her develop improved ability to bear weight through all fours, and assisted her so that she can learn how to independently do this. Tummy time is extremely important for head control and postural control, which helps in developing other milestones as her ability to sit improved. I also added different types of objects like a bike, a mini horse to sway her back and forth. At first, I needed to hold her wrists so that her wrists would stay on the bike to give her stability. I was then able to move my hands to her hips, as she kept her hands on the bike, while I moved her back and forth. We then slowly, slowly gave her a little bit more support, lower down at the knees so she could learn how to distribute her body weight better.

And here we have her independently, sitting on her little cushion and bearing weight through both of her arms and hands. This is an amazing achievement for her. With her sitting milestone ticked off, we are now working on independent tall kneeling and I am excited for the next stage of her development."

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Watch Video here: https://bit.ly/sofiasphysiotherapyjourney