Milestones Physical Therapy Services

Vestibular input and core strengthening, perfect after school activities on a beautiful fall day ! Did you know that a simple activity such as rolling down a hill can be hugely beneficial to a child’s developing brain? As well as their core strength? How about the challenge of rolling back up the hill? Our vestibular system is what tells our brain where our body is in space. It is comprised of our eyes, our inner ears, and the small muscles at the base of our skulls.... As children grow and develop, the spinning, twirling, and hanging upside down that they so often seek is CRITICAL to the development of their vestibular system, which in turn affects sensory processing, coordination and balance. The development of this system begins in utero, as baby tosses and turns, creating infamous belly quakes. For some babies, dropping early in the pelvis, or getting stuck under the rib cage when breech, can limit these movements and hinder early development of this critical system. Neck muscle imbalances, such as torticollis, further impact the development of a baby’s position sense over time. In toddlers, preschoolers and school-aged children, we sometimes discourage spinning, twirling and hanging upside down, because we, as adults, find such movements unappealing (only because we’ve stopped doing them and have inhibited our own vestibular systems), or because we worry the child might get hurt. But these movements are so important! I work with children of all ages, as young as a few days old, and I always recommend vestibular activities to promote development of this critical system. If you have questions on what you can do to promote more vestibular input for your infant or child, feel free to post below or send me a message. I hope you enjoy what is left of this gorgeous fall and go roll down, and back up, a hill or two!

Some comic relief for all the pregnant ladies (and those who have been there, done that). The Dude Dad videos always make me chuckle .

Some early communication milestones just for reference. Did you know in BC and Alberta you don’t need a Dr.’s referral to access speech and language services fo...r preschoolers? In the Vancouver area, call 604-659-1100 to access services for your child. In Calgary and area phone 403-955-1300 To access private services, contact your chosen SLP directly.

I worked on every single one of these throughout the day today with my prenatal and postpartum Mommas, and they are key starting points to all of my sessions to improve function of the deep core muscles (pelvic floor, diaphragm, transverse abdominis, and multifidus). For #1, check in with yourself throughout the day to see how often you subconsciously clench your glutes, it might surprise you! You might notice yourself holding unnecessary tension in the glutes when wa...shing dishes, standing in line at the grocery store, when standing and rocking baby, etc. Sadly, clenched glutes do not equal strong glutes and can contribute to the dreaded Mum Bum . The best way to check if you are clenching your glutes is to see if you can consciously relax them. If you feel the muscles let go, you have just proven your status as a clencher! Also, I personally most often see women who tuck their bums under too much vs. sticking them out. If you aren’t sure which category you fall into (ie. bum tucker vs. booty popper ), stand sideways in a mirror and take a look . If you notice you seem tucked and your lower back looks flat, think about floating your tailbone up slightly to achieve a soft curve in your low back. You don’t need an IG ready J. Lo or Kardashian booty pop, just a gentle lift and float to help the pelvic floor muscles achieve a proper resting length which equals better function . Comment below with any questions, and stay tuned this week and I’ll discuss points 2-5 . (Repost of awesome graphic by Dr. Sarah Ellis Duvall)

This is a scary place to be!

Saturday was my first day back in clinic seeing people in-person. It was a long day of masking and disinfecting (and sometimes double-masking as in this pic; I wore patterned fabric masks over my surgical masks to help the babies attend to my face/make things a little friendlier for the older kids). It was an adjustment but it was so great to be able to help so many people and families. Moving forward, I will continue to offer a combination of in-person and telehealth appo...intments, and my in-person appointments are now booking into June. Appointments are available for prenatal and postpartum support and rehabilitation, breastfeeding and mastitis support and treatment, pediatric pelvic health, and infant physiotherapy (developmental, plagiocephaly and torticollis). Message me if you have any questions and enjoy the rest of your long weekend . See more