Physiotherapy is beneficial for all ages, including the pediatric population birth to 18 years old. Babies, kids and teens do have different needs and function differently than adults.
Pediatric Physiotherapy Appointment
An initial pediatric physiotherapy appointment will be one hour, in which our pediatric physiotherapist will get a good understanding of your concerns for your child, understand more about birth history and milestone development, and will complete a thorough assessment. They will provide education and information surrounding your child, and be able to provide you with a home exercise program to best support your child.
Our pediatric physiotherapy services support infants and toddlers through every stage of early development, helping them overcome challenges and reach important milestones.
Tummy Time Difficulties
Tummy time is important for infant development from birth and is a precursor to many gross motor milestones, if your infant is having difficulty with tummy time, a pediatric physiotherapist can help provide strategies and determine if there is an underlying reason as to why your baby is having challenges with this skill, as difficulties in tummy time may result in delayed gross motor skills.
Delayed Motor Milestones
Although babies do develop at their own pace, it is important for some to get some extra help to ensure they are on track and meeting their milestones! If your baby is having difficulty rolling, sitting independently, crawling or walking, then pediatric physiotherapy can help!
Infants with medical concerns: Pediatric physiotherapists can assist your baby and family if they have any medical concerns such as Cerebral Palsy, history of prematurity, low muscle tone, brachial plexus injuries, down syndrome and more. There is a large emphasis on collaborative care, so we will be sure to collaborate with members of your baby’s healthcare team!
Torticollis
Also known as “wry-neck” is when an infant’s neck muscles become tight, causing them to develop a preference for a direction to look and/or tilt their head. Torticollis is managed very well with physiotherapy, especially when caught early. If you notice any signs of the following, we recommend scheduling an assessment as soon as possible:
A preference to look one way when playing, sleeping, or feeding
Preference to use one hand over the other
Developing a flat spot on one side of their head
Rolling only in one direction
To help torticollis, our pediatric physiotherapist will provide you with lots of education around your baby’s development, positioning ideas and techniques, stretches, strengthening exercises and play positions.
Head Shape Management
Newborns skulls are very soft and malleable as they are constantly growing. As a result, their head can become misshapen due to consistent pressures in an area of their skull. This most often presents as flattening, either on one side (plagiocephaly) or the back of the head (brachycephaly). We recommend booking an assessment as soon as noticing any head shape concerns, as it is best managed when an infant is young and their skulls are still soft and malleable. Our pediatric physiotherapist can assess the head shape and their development and provide strategies to improve head shape, provide support with gross motor skills, and potentially provide a referral to an orthotist when clinically recommended.
Physiotherapy for Physical and Developmental Disabilities
Pediatric physiotherapy can assist kids with a range of conditions and syndromes, in order to provide support to them and their families to improve their participation at home, with their peers and in the community. We focus on improving strength, mobility, coordination, balance, proprioception, motor planning and gross motor skills for children with neuromuscular, congenital and acquired disorders.
Common conditions are:
Cerebral Palsy
Down Syndrome
Muscular Dystrophy
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Developmental Coordination Disorder
Global Developmental Delay
Rare genetic conditions
And more!
Physiotherapy for General Childhood Concerns
Children grow very quickly, and this can create tension on a child’s muscles and joints, which can lead specific injuries or conditions. We can treat and assist in understanding the following conditions:
Toe walking
Foot pain and arch development
Scoliosis
Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease
Sever’s Heel (heel pain)
Osgoode-Schlatters (knee pain)
Growing pains
Muscle imbalances
Coordination difficulties, tripping, falling, difficulty on the playground
W-sitting
In-toeing
Out-toeing
When To Seek Physiotherapy
For your infant:
If your infant is having difficulty with tummy time, delayed motor milestones, head preference, head shape changes, or even for a developmental check up!
For your school-aged child:
If your child has any coordination difficulties, tripping or falling often when running, difficulty playing on the playground or keeping up with their friends.
When to seek physiotherapy for your teen:
If your teen has experienced any injuries, has any alignment concerns, or any joint pain.
