02/16/2024
There can be many reasons why a child may be experiencing muscle tension.
A few things to look for and this can relate to children of all ages:
1. Abnormal walking pattern: does your child walk differently, but you can’t quite put your finger on it? i.e tip toeing, out-toeing, in-toeing, dragging a leg…
2. One sided weakness: does your child struggle with activities on one side more than the other? Does your baby use one arm more than the other? Does your baby only roll in one direction? Does your baby prefer to look one way? Did your child have torticollis as a baby? In my professional experience, I am seeing a lot of school aged kids/ adolescents who are demonstrating a muscle imbalance and they had torticollis as a baby. If there was not therapy as a baby or was only for a short period of time, then those initial tensions from infancy could still be affecting movement.
3. C-Shape Curve: Does your baby lay in a curve (head one way and legs the other)? Does your child lean when they walk? Does it appear like they could have scoliosis?
4. Leg Length Difference: Has your pediatrician mentioned that one of your child’s leg is shorter than the other? There are some instances where this is true, but most of the time a muscle imbalance (tension/weakness) is creating this to happen. Body/ muscle work can help to improve this.
Muscle tension can create difficulty with movement and create compensations with your child’s movement patterns. This can happen at all ages.
In-utero positioning, the birthing process, containers, muscle/bone/soft tissue injuries…all of these things can lead to muscle tension.
If you feel like you notice any of these things in your baby, toddler, child, and/or teen, physical therapy can be beneficial and can allow your child to move with improved mobility and strength. Reach out to us at !!