Pool therapy

Pool therapy takes place once a day. Pool activities include water aerobics, weighted laps in shallow water while hopping or running, laps with a kickboard, upper-body exercises with hand paddles, and water polo.
 

Yoga 

Patients will participate in yoga three times a week. Yoga stretches muscles and soft tissue and increases the range of motion in joints. It increase body awareness, improves balance and coordination, strengthens core muscles, and improves posture. Each yoga session will also include restorative postures with the use of props. Yoga also emphasizes deep breathing, which stimulates the body's relaxation response. 

Group music therapy, group therapeutic art, and self-regulation 

Music therapy may include music-assisted relaxation, progressive muscle relaxation, and expression through music production. Therapeutic art provided by Child Life Specialists explores the creative process through various mediums. Self-regulation may include relaxed breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and other strategies. 

"Talk time" 

All children have talk time to help support the patient’s amplified pain treatment, increase coping, and explore stressors. This occurs in individual sessions with the psychologist as well as in small group sessions. Group Talk Time is an opportunity for patients to all come together in a semi-structured group setting to provide support to each other, share coping strategies, discuss similarities and differences in experiences, and have fun.

Occupational and physical therapy 

Patients are seen one-on-one, with occasional paired sessions for five - six hours a day. Timed activities are used to measure functional progress such as running, negotiating stairs, stepping in and out of a bathtub, and carrying a load around an obstacle course. Non-timed activities include full body exercises, endurance tasks, self-care tasks, school related activities, and community outing. Quality of movement is continuously monitored. Therapists select Endurance exercises based on the patient’s interest, independence, and symptoms. Pain regions are treated with contrast baths, towel rubs, ice massage, lotion massage, vibration, etc. 

Home activities

On week nights, patients will independently perform a daily home program composed of stretching activities. On the weekends, patients will complete an intense home program including desensitization, aerobic exercise, and strengthening activities provided by physical and occupational therapists. Patients are strongly encouraged to pick active recreational activities such as walking, shopping, playing/practicing their normal sports, or sightseeing in the evenings and weekends. 

School work

Schoolwork is generally on hold and make-up work is completed once the child returns to the classroom. We will assist in getting the school to help make re-entry as smooth as possible.