If you live in the Medford area and are looking for a qualified and helpful physical therapist for physical therapy in Medford, then you should check out Provident Physical Therapy Highly-credentialed physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training, and support staff at Provident Physical Therapy in Medford is dedicated to helping each of their patients achieve their goals. Their staff communicates closely with referral sources and provides timely reports. 

What Provident PT Offers

Since they take pride in the doctors that they hire and want to make sure that their patients are provided with the best care possible, they only hire New York-licensed physical therapists with strong training in orthopedic surgical rehabilitation. They will only see patients in one-to-one treatment sessions. They are also committed to quality care while at the same time building trust between the patient and physician. They also offer comprehensive, intensive hands-on therapy, biomechanical evaluation, and muscle strengthening and conditioning to help prevent future injuries in their patients so they do not need lifelong care. They help people who have had surgery to rehabilitate and return to a fully functional life.

What Is Toe Walking?Physical Therapy in Medford

If you have ever seen babies try and walk for the first time, you will notice that a lot of them will start to walk on their toes only instead of their whole feet. Most children will outgrow this and learn to walk on their entire feet, but for some, this continues and stays as they get older. This could also happen to children because it runs in the family meaning that it is hereditary or that they have an older sibling and they copy that behavior to learn. 

Causes of Toe Walking

This condition tends to develop in children who are just learning to walk. In some cases, unfortunately, toe walking is caused by an underlying condition. Those conditions are:

  • Having a short Achilles tendon- tendon that links the lower leg muscles to the back of the heel bone. If it’s too short, it can prevent the heel from touching the ground.
  • Cerebral palsy- caused by a disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture caused by injury or abnormal development in the parts of the brain that control muscle function.
  • Muscular dystrophy- genetic disease in which muscle fibers are unusually prone to damage and weaken over time. 
  • Autism. Toe walking has been linked to autism, which affects a child’s ability to communicate and interact with others.

Treatment For Toe Walking

There are many ways that a parent can help their child cure toe walking that are non-surgical. Using leg casts that can help to stretch muscles and tendons in the calves if it is identified that they are tight. A unique brace known as an ankle-foot orthosis, can help to stretch the muscles and tendons in the ankles. Botox injections in the legs are also an option that can help to weaken overactive leg muscles if these are causing the toe walking. 

If you need assistance please contact Provident Physical Therapy in Medford today!