Cerebral Palsy and Trouble Reaching Up? Try This Stretch | Pediatric PT for Moderate CP #50

Hello! My name is Amy Sturkey, and I am a pediatric physical therapist 👩🏻‍⚕️💙. I’m here with my wonderful co-instructor, Alexis 👧🏽, and her grandmother Sonja 🤲🏽. Alexis is 12 years old and has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. In this video, we are working on stretching the latissimus dorsi to improve shoulder flexion and help Alexis gain better dissociation between the humerus and the scapula. Many children with cerebral palsy do not regularly reach overhead. Over time, this can lead to tightness in the latissimus dorsi muscles, which limits shoulder flexion and makes it difficult to lift the arms up high—especially above shoulder level. When the arm and shoulder blade (scapula) are tight or bound together, it becomes much harder to get the separation between the two that is needed for reaching overhead. In this session, Alexis is positioned supine over a medium-sized therapy ball ⚽. Her grandmother assists by holding and gently pulling Alexis’s legs while I work on stretching her upper extremities. This positioning allows us to support thoracic extension ⬆️, stabilize the scapula 🦴, and apply a slow, controlled stretch through the latissimus dorsi 💪🏽. As you’ll see in the video, Alexis initially has difficulty even reaching 90 degrees of shoulder flexion. By stabilizing the shoulder blade and using gentle distraction, we are able to improve her available range of motion and make overhead reaching feel more accessible. I also demonstrate using opposite arm and leg positioning (holding one arm while the opposite leg is pulled) to increase the effectiveness of the stretch 🔄. Stretches are held for at least 20 seconds, multiple times. While research suggests that short-term stretching alone does not lead to long-term changes in muscle length for children with cerebral palsy, stretching can be very helpful right before an activity when increased range of motion is needed for participation and success. I hope this video is helpful for therapists and families 👨🏾‍👩🏽‍👧🏾 working on overhead reach, shoulder mobility, and scapular control for children with cerebral palsy. Thanks so much for watching 🙏🏽 — we’ll look forward to seeing you next time! 🎥 Watch all of Alexis’s videos (playlist): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAkJbMrHyKjNQyu5vJsft6bWiGCmEU-nR 🌐 More from me: Website: www.pediatricPTexercises.com Facebook: Pediatric Physical Therapy Exercises Email: amysturkey@gmail.com ⚠️ Important note: These videos are for educational purposes only and are not a substitute for in-person pediatric physical therapy. Every child is unique. I cannot provide treatment recommendations for a child I have not personally evaluated. For individualized care, please consult a local pediatric physical therapist. 📚 Books by Amy Sturkey (Amazon) Children’s Books: P is for Poop and Pee Accidents — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLSRJ483 A is for Anxiety — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LXQ3W6V A is for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QH9H5HR C is for Cerebral Palsy — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088TSJCYP D is for Down Syndrome — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079P8HH49 A is for Autism — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F4FFTB Professional PT Books: Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Hips — https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156736 Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Knees — https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156760 Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Ankles — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TX2ZCFD