6 Conditions Treated in Pediatric Physiotherapy
6 Conditions Treated in Pediatric Physiotherapy
Have you ever wondered exactly what a pediatric physiotherapist treats? Do you think your child may need pediatric physiotherapy? There are many conditions that require children to seek the help of a qualified physiotherapist.
Does your child have cerebral palsy (or a similar diagnosed movement disorder)? Have they injured themselves while playing sports? Do they have poor posture from school or too much sedentary time? Are they late to crawl or walk? Was your child born with, or has developed, torticollis? Is your child still toe-walking? If so, this blog post is for you!
There are many reasons you may want to seek out a pediatric physiotherapist for your child, as they can treat many conditions for your child. The benefit of seeing a pediatric physiotherapist is that they understand how children should be developing and how to tailor treatment appropriately. By seeing a pediatric physiotherapist your child can improve their posture, their mobility and function, and their range of motion, balance, coordination, and strength.
In this post we will be talking about 6 conditions commonly seen by pediatric physiotherapists: cerebral palsy, sport injuries, posture, missed motor milestones, torticollis, and toe-walking; And why it is important to see a pediatric physiotherapist for each condition. Our innovative care strategies at West End Physiotherapy will help you find quick relief.
1. Cerebral Palsy and Other Diagnosed Movement Disorders
Early intervention of physiotherapy when your child has been diagnosed with a neurological condition or diagnosed with a movement disorder, has been shown to improve function in young children.
Cerebral Palsy appears during infancy and up to early childhood due to brain damage. Cerebral palsy is a movement and posture disorder that is non-progressive and permanent, and there is no cure. However, early physiotherapy is important to improve the childs ability to move. The earlier your child sees a pediatric physiotherapist the better, as your child learns many movement strategies early in life.
Early physiotherapy can help your child perform movements and gain strength that would normally not be possible due to their limitations and muscle weakness. Without physiotherapy, your child may not have the opportunities to practice specific movements to get stronger and become more independent. Pediatric physiotherapy can also preserve your childs muscle length and joint flexibility, helping to avoid muscle stiffness and permanent loss of movement of a joint.
Pediatric Physiotherapy Can Help:
- Reduce or help to manage tight muscles
- Improve strength and endurance
- Improve mobility
- Improve movement control
- Increase independence
2. Sport Injuries
Pediatric physiotherapists are well trained in how to treat your developing child’s sports injuries. We are able to assess your child’s physical injuries and use age-appropriate exercises to ensure a safe return to sports or other activities.
It is important to see a physiotherapist who is specialized in pediatrics rather than a normal physiotherapist because they are more aware of any limitations your child may have from their injury and how that may impact their development. A pediatric physiotherapist will have a better understanding about your childs movement patterns and how they can be improved to avoid future injuries.
Pediatric Physiotherapy Can Help:
- Assess any sport or joint injury
- Reduce pain and swelling
- Improve strength
- Enhance your child’s skills for their specific sport
- Proper technique to avoid future injuries
3. Posture
Does your child look like they are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders? Covid- 19 has taken a toll on children’s bodies, they are spending more time sitting watching TV than playing outside with their friends. Children are basically working from home, like most adults during the pandemic. Forced to sit at their desks and complete hours of online school. Covid-19 has had an adverse impact on movement and play of children. Like adults, sitting all day in the same position can cause pain and harm posture. Pediatric physiotherapy can help children change poor posture to improve their movement patterns, decrease pain, and overall increase quality of life.
Pediatric physiotherapists are here to help. With a trained eye, we can address key areas to help improve your child’s posture and alignment!
Pediatric Physiotherapy Can Help:
- Optimize breathing, alignment, and core
- Educate on positioning of computers/devices to optimize posture
- Reduce muscle tightness
- Prevent injuries/pain from postural deformities
4. Missed Motor Milestones
Does it seem like your child is behind compared to children who are the same age when it comes to movement? Are you worried that your baby did not crawl? Don’t worry, a little variability is okay. However, it is really important for children to meet all motor milestones within a general timeframe. There may be different causes for missed or delayed milestones that include genetics and the environment. But not to worry, pediatric physiotherapists are here to help!
If your child has missed or is delayed getting a motor milestone, reach out to our clinic and we can help your child develop the movement skills that are required for walking, running, sitting, crawling, and other activities.
Pediatric Physiotherapy can help:
- Improve strength and endurance
- Improve muscle control and balance
- Identify areas of improvement (i.e. reason for delay)
- Improve confidence
- Keep your child on track with motor milestones
You can find the motor milestones here along with a checklist
5. Torticollis
Does your baby favor looking to one side? Only move their neck in one direction? Does your baby have difficulty latching to breastfeed on one side? They may have torticollis which is the shortening and tightening of the neck muscles on one side. Physiotherapy and repositioning exercises are recommended to prevent and treat torticollis. Early intervention is important because torticollis can lead to flattening of skull, delays in movement development, and fascial asymmetries.
Quick tips for at home:
- Place toys on the opposite side that your baby favours
- Change the side you carry your baby on
- Position crib in the middle of the room, have the door on their side that is limited
- Position the changing table to have them looking at you from theei side that is limited
- Increase tummy time to help strengthen the neck muscles
- At West End Physiotherapy we can teach you exercises and stretches for at home!
Pediatric Physiotherapy can help:
- Decrease neck tightness
- Prevent or manage flattening of the skull
- Optimize proper development
- Educate on prevention
6. Toe walking
Toe walking is when a child walks on the toes and the heel or other parts of the foot do not touch the floor. Sometimes there is a movement disorder that can cause a child to walk on the toes, but other times there is not.
Many children toe walk when first starting to walk, which is okay. But if your child has been toe walking for a long time physiotherapy may be needed to prevent long term problems. Our physiotherpists will work on range of motion exercises, strengthening, weight bearing, and walking exercises.
Pediatric Physiotherapy can help:
- Refer for orthotics
- Educate for home strategies
- Increase range of motion and improve strength
- Work on sensitivity
So…Will a Pediatric Physiotherapist really help your child?
These are all just a snapshot of what pediatric physiotherapists can treat. In reality our skills are endless. We can treat just about any condition that affects movement, balance or coordination. Our skills are unique to children.
At West End Physiotherapy, our pediatric physiotherapists will assess your child and see what will work best for them. Our goal is to make sure your child is meeting all movement milestones, increase their quality of life, reduce any pain, and of course have fun while doing it!
Leave your email or call us today to book a time that works for you and your child to see one of our pediatric physiotherapists. If you are looking to stay in the comfort of your own home that is no problem, we can have our Physiotherapist contact you over the phone for a consultation at the earliest of your convenience. Once you have a consultation scheduled, we will work together to get started on the perfect treatment plan for you and your child!
For more information check out our website:
FAQ
What is a Pediatric physiotherapist?
A Pediatric physiotherapist a licenced health care provider who has a special intrest in physiotherapy for children; they have taken the appropriate courses and continue professional development.
Does my child need to see a Pediatric physiotherapist?
If your related to any of the above topics or your child is having balance, coordination, mobility, strength issues feel free to give us a call and we can see if physiotherapy would work for you!
Can babies benefit from physiotherapy?
Babies may require physiotherapy for many reasons, which include torticollis, flattening of the skull, injuries at birth, genetic abnormalities, low muscle tone, delayed movement development, prevention of other conditions. To learn more about our pain management and relief options, contact West End Physiotherapy today. Our physiotherapists are here and ready to help you feel your best in any way they can.