Know How to Make Bridges Harder? Watch This Progression 👨🏾‍🦱💪🏾 | Athetoid CP PT #14

🎥 Watch All of Ne’Quan’s Videos (Playlist) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAkJbMrHyKjNPEoC-A5MaSjxfr_omXGDS 👋🏽 Hi, I’m Amy Sturkey, a retired pediatric physical therapist with over 35 years of experience. I’m continuing this series with my co-instructor, Ne’Quan 👨🏾‍🦱💙 Ne’Quan has spastic athetoid cerebral palsy, and I was his physical therapist from age 5 through age 26. When we began filming this playlist, he was 27 — and at this point, we are simply dear friends. Although Ne’Quan is an adult, the motor challenges he experiences are the same challenges I address across the lifespan. The strategies used in this series apply to young children and adults alike — what changes is how the task is presented. With younger clients 👧🏽👦🏼, these skills are often built through play. With Ne’Quan, we work directly using verbal cues, repetition, task progression, and long-established trust. 🧠 What This Video Focuses On In this session, we work on bridges to improve hip extension, proximal hip stability, core activation, and balance. Individuals with athetoid cerebral palsy often have fluctuating muscle tone and difficulty maintaining stability during movement. Sustaining control requires many muscle groups to work together while managing involuntary movements. Ne’Quan demonstrates a bridge progression that gradually increases the demands on his hips, trunk, and balance. We begin with a traditional bridge, progress to a bridge with one leg crossed over the other, and then advance to single-leg bridges. Each progression requires greater strength, stability, and co-contraction. As the activities become more difficult, I adjust the amount of support I provide so Ne’Quan can be successful while still doing as much of the work as possible. 🧠 Why This Matters Bridge activities help develop: • Hip extension strength • Proximal hip stability • Core activation and endurance • Balance and postural control • Co-contraction for stability 💡 Therapy Tips A few strategies that help: • Begin with a standard bridge before progressing • Provide support only where needed • Increase the challenge gradually • Focus on quality and control rather than speed For younger clients, these activities can be turned into games by passing toys underneath while they hold the bridge position. 📌 About Ne’Quan • Walks in daily life with someone nearby for safety 🚶🏾‍♂️ • Does not speak; communicates using gestures, signs, an alphabet board, and a switch-accessed communication device 💬📱 • Strong receptive language skills • Limited hand control affecting fine-motor and self-help tasks 🤲🏽 • Functionally most similar to GMFCS Level III ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 Introduction & meet Ne’Quan 00:52 Working on proximal hip stability 01:05 Beginning with a standard bridge 01:52 Bridge with one leg crossed over 02:46 Single-leg bridge progression 03:38 Why this activity is challenging 04:08 Adapting bridges for younger clients 04:19 Closing 🌐 More Resources Website: https://www.pediatricPTexercises.com Facebook: Pediatric Physical Therapy Exercises Email: amysturkey@gmail.com ⚠️ Disclaimer This video is for educational purposes only. It is not medical advice. It would be unethical for me to provide specific treatment recommendations without personally evaluating your child or client. 💬 Captions / Accessibility I’ve reviewed and corrected the captions for clarity. To turn on captions: click CC. To change caption language: Settings → Subtitles/CC → choose a language or Auto-translate 🌍 📚 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 Pediatric Physical Therapy Exercise Books Pediatric Physical Therapy Exercises for the Hips — https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156736 Pediatric Physical Therapy Exercises for the Knees — https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156760 Pediatric Physical Therapy Exercises for the Ankles — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TX2ZCFD