Helping Crouch Walking with Hip Extension 🚶🏿‍♀️| Pediatric Physical Therapy for Cerebral Palsy #50

Alexis #50 — Bridging for Hip Extension | Pediatric Physical Therapy Hello! My name is Amy Sturkey, and I am a pediatric physical therapist 👱🏼‍♀️💙. I’m here with my wonderful co-instructor, Alexis 👧🏽. Alexis is 10½ years old and has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. She functions at a Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Level III/IV. Alexis can walk with trunk support 🤲🏽, does well with two hands held, can take short distances with one hand held, walks in a walker with help to steer, and uses a wheelchair for longer distances ♿. She has a communication device 💬, is learning to drive a power wheelchair 🚗, and has a strong understanding of what is said to her. She is hardworking 💪🏽, expressive 😊, and a joy to problem-solve with. In this session, we are working on bridging as a way to address Alexis’s crouch walking pattern by targeting terminal hip extension ⬆️. Children with crouch often remain flexed at the ankles, knees, and hips, and achieving end-range hip extension can be especially challenging. Bridging allows us to practice hip extension in a supported position while focusing on active engagement of the hips and trunk. Alexis is positioned on her back with her feet on the floor 🦶🏽. I stabilize her feet to help prevent compensations and cue her to lift her hips rather than extending backward through her spine. This helps Alexis focus on lifting the pelvis upward to activate the hip extensors 🍑 rather than relying on movement patterns that don’t carry over as well to standing and walking. To keep the task motivating and fun 🎯, we use a simple reward system — completing five bridges earns Alexis time with Buzz 🧸. You’ll hear me cueing her through each repetition, encouraging full hip lift and sustained effort as she works through the set. As you’ll see in the video 🎥, bridging provides: • practice with terminal hip extension ⬆️ • strengthening of the gluteal and trunk muscles 💪🏽 • a way to counteract the flexed posture seen in crouch gait • an opportunity to work on controlled, purposeful movement rather than momentum Bridging is a valuable exercise for children with cerebral palsy who demonstrate crouch, as it directly targets the hip extension needed for more upright standing and walking 🚶🏽‍♀️. I hope this video is helpful for therapists and families 👨🏾‍👩🏽‍👧🏾 working on crouch gait, hip extension, and functional strengthening 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 ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Introduction & overview 👋🏽 00:18 Understanding crouch and hip extension ⬆️ 00:35 Set-up for bridging on the floor 🦶🏽 00:49 Preventing back extension and cueing hip lift 01:02 Beginning the set of bridges (motivation with Buzz 🧸) 01:11 Counting repetitions and encouraging effort 💪🏽 01:31 Why bridging helps terminal hip extension 01:44 Connecting bridging to crouch gait improvement 01:52 Closing thoughts & subscribe reminder 🔔