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Maria’s Story

May 5, 2015 | News

Physical therapy made a big difference to Maria and her family

The Cannon family has been involved with physical therapy for the past couple of years. Maria started therapy as a baby and her parents are now watching their  2 year old learn to walk.  The first months of Maria’s life were spent in the NICU in Victoria  She was born eight weeks prematurely with many medical complications. The initial concern was her survival.

Once they were home in the Comox Valley, the Cannons started coming for physical therapy at the CVCDA. Maria was very delayed in her gross motor development.  She had poor head and trunk control, was unable to hold her head up while lying on her tummy or to roll on the floor; she had tightness of the muscles around her knees and ankles and no active movement of her legs or feet. She also had other  medical issues that included poor vision, hearing, and being unable to nurse or feed by herself.

Maria’s physical therapy sessions have included stretching her tight muscles, and gaining muscle strengthening through play on the floor. She can now sit upright on the floor and go from lying on the floor to sitting and then into a crawling position by herself. She is crawling around the house and starting to pull to stand. Her ability to gain these gross motor milestones has been exciting journey for the both the family and the therapist.

Our next goal is learning to ride a tricycle. Stay tuned….

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