MyoFit Clinic is helping children with physical challenges reach their milestones

By Patricia Nugent

To meet the rising need in our area, this month the team at MyoFit Clinic physical therapy clinics is expanding its pediatric care.

They treat children from one month to 17 years old with disabilities, genetic syndromes and autism, those who aren’t reaching developmental milestones or are recovering from injury or surgery.

“From an outpatient therapy standpoint, resources are limited in Geauga County. We sought to change that,” says MyoFit Founder Adam Cramer, PT, DPT. “We’ve always treated children, but now we are making Tuesdays and Thursdays dedicated days for only pediatrics in the Chardon clinic. No referral is necessary for care.”

As a father to four children under the age of 10, Dr. Cramer knows full well what a chaotic schedule parents keep today and appreciates the importance of making treatment accessible and convenient.

“Our goal is to mitigate physical and emotional challenges before they have long-term effects,” he says. “For instance, children with certain diagnoses who suffer from weakness or ‘floppy joints’ sit with their legs flared out rather than crossed legs in front of them, which can result in hip dysplasia creating pain and difficulty with walking and running.”

Other reasons children might need physical therapy include in-utero strokes, spina bifida, MRDD, cerebral palsy, premature birth, cystic fibrosis and other congenital developmental syndromes.

For kids with cerebral palsy, the therapists address contractures, or not being able to bend their legs or arms, which can create problems in daily care, bathing, walking, standing and running. Contractures can also create pain and MyoFit is well equipped to manage pain as Geauga County’s preferred pain management provider already.

“Knowing the challenges that might happen to them later in life helps us manage care better now,” says Dr. Cramer. “We also treat children with autism, who deal with sensory perception challenges such as light, sound and temperature sensitivity. The earlier we can start working with these children, the better and more productive they are functioning in society later in life.”

Something that sets MyoFit apart from the rest, in terms of comprehensive treatment, is that they offer pediatric care with both physical therapists and occupational therapists. MyoFit Clinic is the only provider in Geauga and Ashtabula County to offer true outpatient pediatric physical and occupational therapy. MyoFit Clinic also has the ability to provide custom-fit wheelchairs and power chairs, including modification to current wheelchairs as the child develops into adolescents and adulthood in order to ensure proper fitting throughout the lifespan. Medicaid and Medicare will cover the costs for clients who are deemed medically necessary for these services so most families do not have to worry about costs.

Meet Sweet Trinity
In the fall of 2019, when her two-year-old daughter with Down Syndrome was not reaching her milestones of crawling and walking, Nicole W. reached out to MyoFit for help.

“After the therapists assessed Trinity, they put a plan of treatment in place,” she says. “Although the pandemic hit a few months after we began, they went out of their way to make sure we didn’t have to interrupt care, switching us over to telehealth visits and then going back to in-person visits as soon as we could.”

Nicole describes their twice-weekly sessions as “work that they make seem like play.” For instance, therapists might encourage a child to walk to reach a toy.

“Trinity is walking now, but her stance is bow-legged, so they are working with her on a balance beam to try to narrow her stance,” she explains. “Another concern is safety. She was having difficulty transitioning from walking on a hard surface floor to a soft surface, and we’re working on that now.”

Nicole says she’d recommend anyone with a child who is not reaching his or her milestones to get help from MyoFit.

Whatever the reason for needing care, Dr. Cramer says that parents have been “overwhelmed with gratitude” that they provide care here in the county.

“We incorporate parents into every step of the process, they are actively involved in every treatment session, assisting with care, learning how our therapists approach their child’s needs and teaching them what to do at home after they are finished with treatment,” he says. “It is the parents who carry the torch long-term. Our partnership is crucial to success.”

Founded by licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy Adam M. Cramer, MyoFit Clinics are located in Ashtabula, Chardon and Middlefield. Physical therapy and preventive checkups are covered by insurances, and the clinics accept Medicare, Medicaid and all commercial insurances. Visit MyoFitClinic.com to find out more. The Chardon Clinic phone number is 440-286-1007.