Starfish Therapies

A pediatric therapy company operating in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. We provide physical, occupational, speech and aquatic therapy services in the most beneficial and convenient setting for you and your child, including our clinic, currently located in Burlingame, your home, school or daycare.

  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • FAQ
  • Our Services
    • Motor Smart Kids
    • Continuing Education
    • FREE Resources
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Corona Virus (Covid-19) Response / Move to Telehealth

Weight Shifting and Trunk Elongation

November 26, 2017 by Stacy Menz

We have been working on walking with some kids that are working on improving their weight shifting and all the mechanics that go with that. Many of them have hip weakness which we are addressing but we are also looking at other areas to address as well. With the hip weakness you can often see a trendelenberg pattern (when their hip drops on the leg they pick up to take a step with). One way kids counteract this is to lean their trunk towards the side that they are standing on when they pick up their other foot to take a step. This provides them some hip stability but it decreases their efficiency and increases their energy utilization because they now are actively moving their trunk side to side with every step. It also makes it harder to fix on a target when walking and can cause path deviation.

So, we decided to help them work on elongating their trunk while weight shifting onto the stance side. To do this, we used a balance board to simulate the weight shifting. As their hip strength and overall balance improves we can take the balance board away and have them shift into single leg stance but for now we decided to only add one new challenge to the task and let them keep both feet on a support surface. We placed a target above their right side and their left side that was just high enough for them to reach when they reached overhead.

Once we were set up, we asked them to shift over to one side and at the same time reach overhead to hit the target. This resulted in them lengthening their trunk on the side they were shifted to (as opposed to shortening their trunk because they were leaning to that side). Once they hit the target they shifted over to the other side and repeated the process over there. We did this in sets of 10. After that we did some overland walking with light tactile cues at their hips and verbal cues to reach overhead when they were on their stance leg.

Did it miraculously change their walking? No, but it started to introduce a new motor pattern that will require a lot of repetitions to become second nature, and it will require continued strengthening of the hips. But it is another component to helping with a more energy efficient walking pattern! Just remember, it takes lots and lots of repetitions to change a motor pattern – repeat, repeat, repeat…

What ideas have you tried?

Related

Filed Under: Blog, Developmental Milestones Tagged With: gross motor development, motor planning, Motor Smart Kids, physical therapy, strengthening, walking

Search

Subscribe To Our Emails

Subscribe and receive access to our FREE products, incredible list of pdfs, websites, readings, and many other useful recommendations!

Primary Programs

  • Motor Smart Kids
    • Free Play
    • Kids Action Hour
    • Yoga for Kids of All Abilities
    • Functional Movement Screen
    • Video Running Analysis
    • Youth Sports Injury Prevention
    • Concussion Screening and Management
  • Continuing Education
    • PNF 1: Introduction to PNF
    • PNF 2: Accessing the Trunk
    • Strength Training in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder
  • Resources
    • Telehealth
    • Informational Handouts
    • Useful Websites
    • Recommended Readings
    • Helpful Products
    • Blogs to Follow
    • Favorite Therapy Products at amazon.com

What Clients Are Saying

I could see the progress being made in my son’s communication and overall disposition. Not only were the classes fun, but he also became a lot less frustrated when trying to communicate with others.”

Recent Blog Posts

  • Occupational Therapy Round-Up
  • Should I Be Concerned?
  • Dr. Seuss Books and Activities
  • More Ideas for Catching
  • Book Inspired Activities

Disclaimers

  • Full Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • HIPAA Patient Notice
  • Accessibility Statement

Search

Patient Resources

  • New Patient Intake Forms
  • Starfish Resources
  • Our Services

Clinical Resources

  • Career Opportunties
  • Continuing Education

Contact

  (650) 638-9142
  (650) 638-9141
  admin@starfishtherapies.com

Join Our Online Community

Location

BURLINGAME
  1541 Old Bayshore Highway
  Burlingame, CA 94010

© Copyright 2023 Starfish Therapies · All Rights Reserved · Powered by babaLucas

 

Loading Comments...