Healing
Hello to the community of Walking Miracles! We are the pediatric team from Mountain River Physical Therapy in Parkersburg, WV, and we are very excited to be joining this community and providing additional resources to you. Let us start by telling you a bit more about who we are. We are a group of physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists who specialize in treating children with a variety of difficulties. We are advocates for the overall well-being of children and their families, so we are thrilled to have the opportunity to provide you with some of our knowledge regarding rehabilitation.
You may be wondering why you would need a physical therapist (PT), occupational therapist (OT), or speech-language pathologist (SLP) during this journey you are on. This blog aims to introduce you to some of the reasons we may be able to help you and your child now and in the coming months and years.
Physical Therapy: When a child/person has been diagnosed with cancer, there are multiple stressors and questions. Physical therapy can be a valuable resource for patients and loved ones. When going through various cancer treatments, it is important to try to keep as active as possible. Physical therapy is an important part of the cancer treatment process. When a person is receiving treatments there are certain limitations that can occur, such as fatigue, nerve damage, and deconditioning. Physical therapy can improve deconditioning and fatigue by incorporating activities to improve strength and endurance. Physical therapy will help the patient maintain or improve overall well-being by focusing on functional tasks that relate to their every day lives. This includes a variety of play activities and sporting activities for children. Along with these tasks the physical therapist will educate the person on how this will help their health in the future and what they can do at home to continue to improve their health. Physical therapy is a way for a person to start physically feeling better, and it can also assist in improving a person's emotional health. If you, your child, or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, consultation/evaluation by a PT could be very beneficial.
Occupational Therapy: Occupational therapists can assist in getting your child back to the things he or she loves. Often, chemotherapy and cancer treatments can cause fatigue and weakness, making it difficult to perform everyday tasks such as bathing, dressing, and even playing. An occupational therapist can evaluate how much assistance your child needs to complete daily activities and teach them how to adapt or compensate. Our goal is to provide your child with the tools needed to be as independent as possible and improve your child's quality of life.
Speech Therapy: This all makes great sense so far, but what about speech therapy? A variety of cancers can affect speech, language, and swallowing, which are the areas that are treated in speech therapy. An SLP can help with difficulties that may arise due to head, mouth, throat, and other cancers. For example, a patient with oral cancer may have difficulty chewing foods and eating. Someone with laryngeal cancer may have a very hard time using their voice to speak and sound very quiet. Pharyngeal cancer patients may not be able to swallow foods and drinks as they could prior to the cancer. A patient with a brain tumor may start facing some cognitive difficulties and have trouble using language to communicate. Additionally, some cancer treatments can lead to hearing loss, which can cause speech problems. All of these areas can be treated in therapy by an SLP. We target clarity of speech, language understanding and expression, oral motor strength and coordination, and safe swallowing. If you are unsure whether or not you or your child could benefit from speech therapy, we encourage you to consult an SLP or schedule an evaluation.
We hope this helps to clarify the role of therapists in the process of cancer treatment and recovery. We will continue to blog about more specific roles each of our therapists could play in your journey, so stay tuned to our blog, and please contact us with any questions you have. We are thrilled to be a part of the Walking Miracles community!
You may be wondering why you would need a physical therapist (PT), occupational therapist (OT), or speech-language pathologist (SLP) during this journey you are on. This blog aims to introduce you to some of the reasons we may be able to help you and your child now and in the coming months and years.
Physical Therapy: When a child/person has been diagnosed with cancer, there are multiple stressors and questions. Physical therapy can be a valuable resource for patients and loved ones. When going through various cancer treatments, it is important to try to keep as active as possible. Physical therapy is an important part of the cancer treatment process. When a person is receiving treatments there are certain limitations that can occur, such as fatigue, nerve damage, and deconditioning. Physical therapy can improve deconditioning and fatigue by incorporating activities to improve strength and endurance. Physical therapy will help the patient maintain or improve overall well-being by focusing on functional tasks that relate to their every day lives. This includes a variety of play activities and sporting activities for children. Along with these tasks the physical therapist will educate the person on how this will help their health in the future and what they can do at home to continue to improve their health. Physical therapy is a way for a person to start physically feeling better, and it can also assist in improving a person's emotional health. If you, your child, or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, consultation/evaluation by a PT could be very beneficial.
Occupational Therapy: Occupational therapists can assist in getting your child back to the things he or she loves. Often, chemotherapy and cancer treatments can cause fatigue and weakness, making it difficult to perform everyday tasks such as bathing, dressing, and even playing. An occupational therapist can evaluate how much assistance your child needs to complete daily activities and teach them how to adapt or compensate. Our goal is to provide your child with the tools needed to be as independent as possible and improve your child's quality of life.
Speech Therapy: This all makes great sense so far, but what about speech therapy? A variety of cancers can affect speech, language, and swallowing, which are the areas that are treated in speech therapy. An SLP can help with difficulties that may arise due to head, mouth, throat, and other cancers. For example, a patient with oral cancer may have difficulty chewing foods and eating. Someone with laryngeal cancer may have a very hard time using their voice to speak and sound very quiet. Pharyngeal cancer patients may not be able to swallow foods and drinks as they could prior to the cancer. A patient with a brain tumor may start facing some cognitive difficulties and have trouble using language to communicate. Additionally, some cancer treatments can lead to hearing loss, which can cause speech problems. All of these areas can be treated in therapy by an SLP. We target clarity of speech, language understanding and expression, oral motor strength and coordination, and safe swallowing. If you are unsure whether or not you or your child could benefit from speech therapy, we encourage you to consult an SLP or schedule an evaluation.
We hope this helps to clarify the role of therapists in the process of cancer treatment and recovery. We will continue to blog about more specific roles each of our therapists could play in your journey, so stay tuned to our blog, and please contact us with any questions you have. We are thrilled to be a part of the Walking Miracles community!