Pediatric Physical Therapy
Pediatric physical therapy is a fantastic tool for children who struggle with movement. Whether this is caused by a developmental delay, disability, or recent injury, our therapists can help your child build their physical skills so they can move their body freely and safely. Not only will your child become more capable so they can enjoy their best life, but they’ll also have fun while doing it!
What Is Physical Therapy?
Pediatric physical therapy is a specialized treatment for children who struggle with movement due to a developmental delay or disability. Your child will work with a physical therapist (PT) on different activities and exercises designed to empower their ability to move their body freely. PTs can also help your child learn to use assistive devices like wheelchairs, crutches, or orthotics to ensure they can move safely and confidently.
Why Physical Therapy?
Children who struggle with their physical skills due to a developmental delay, disability, or injury can be less confident and have trouble taking care of their own needs or playing with others. Physical skills include all areas of your child’s ability to move their body the way they want to, such as:
- Balance & Coordination
- Flexibility
- Strength
- Endurance
- Posture
- Walking
What Are the Benefits of Physical Therapy?
When your child participates in routine physical therapy sessions, they can experience a ton of great benefits, including improved control of their body’s movement, better ability to play with other children, stronger gross motor skills, reduced pain from chronic conditions, faster healing after an injury or surgery, reduced risk of injury, better ability to participate in social activities, improved handling of adaptive devices, and increased independence and self-confidence.
How Can I Tell if My Child Needs Physical Therapy?
If your child is struggling to control their body’s movements, it’s a good sign they could benefit from physical therapy. This could include:
- Favoring a limb after injury or surgery
- Reaching developmental milestones slower than their peers
- Having trouble crawling, walking, running, climbing, or jumping
- Being excessively clumsy or accident-prone
- Struggling to go up or down stairs
- Having bad posture
- Being unable to play simple games like catch
- Walking on their toes
- Complaining about pain that doesn’t seem to alleviate
Physical therapy can also help if your child struggles with movement due to a condition like cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, congenital limb amputations or deficiencies, and premature birth. With routine therapy sessions, we can help your child build the skills they need to play and explore.
Testimonials
Pediatric Physical Therapy FAQs
What Should I Bring To My Child’s First Physical Therapy Appointment?
To ensure your child’s first day of physical therapy flows as smoothly as possible, we recommend you bring the following items and pieces of information with you on day one:
- Medical history. Arriving onsite for your child’s first physical therapy appointment with as much information as you can empowers our team to put together the best possible treatment plan to support you and your child.
- Identification and Insurance. Knowing how many sessions your insurance covers allows your physical therapist to plan out the most effective path forward for your child’s care and progress.
- Comfort items. Having your child’s preferred items within reach, like a favorite toy or blanket, helps keep them calm, relaxed, and at ease.
- Comfy clothes. Our physical therapy sessions tend to involve a good amount of movement, so dressing your child in loose, comfortable, and non-restrictive clothing is greatly encouraged.
- Adaptive equipment. If your child uses or is adjusting to using equipment like wheelchairs, crutches, or braces, be sure to bring it along! Your therapist will assess how the equipment is used and provide tips or adjustments to ensure it’s being utilized as effectively as possible.
- Any and all questions you may have. We’re here to support you every step of the way! Our team’s aim is to make both you and your child feel as comfortable and confident as possible as we work together to ensure your little one reaches the bright future they deserve.
Can Pediatric Physical Therapy Assist In Post-Surgical Recovery For Children?
Absolutely! Pediatric physical therapy is very important in helping children of all ages recover after surgery.
Following any surgical procedure, a child’s body needs time and the right support to heal and regain strength, mobility, and confidence. At Believe Therapies, our post-surgical recovery plans are tailored to each child’s specific surgery, goals, and abilities. Sessions can include gentle exercises to restore range of motion, build muscle strength, improve coordination and balance, and more.
These physical therapy sessions also focus on reducing discomfort, preventing potential complications like stiffness or weakness, and helping your child relearn skills or movements their surgery may have impacted.
Just as importantly, our pediatric physical therapists provide a safe, encouraging environment where both you and your child feel supported and motivated. We help kids stay engaged and excited about their progress through play-based approaches and positive reinforcement. Our physical therapists work one-on-one with your little one to ensure their post-surgical recovery will be a journey of growth and strength, allowing your child to return to their favorite activities stronger and more confident than before.
We’re here to ensure you and your child don’t have to navigate this process alone, offering our expert care and support every guided step of the way.
How Often Should My Child Attend Physical Therapy Sessions?
The frequency of your child’s physical therapy sessions depends on their unique needs, goals, and therapist recommendations.
Pediatric physical therapy sessions are typically scheduled anywhere from once to a few times per week. This schedule ensures your child receives consistent guidance and care while also giving their body time to rest, recover, and adapt between sessions.
Maintaining regular appointments is important, as consistency is key to achieving the best results. For some children, especially those recovering from surgery or an injury, more frequent visits may be beneficial at the start to support faster healing. For others, a less intensive schedule may be appropriate for building skills gradually over time.
No matter what brings you and your child to Believe Therapies, your child’s therapist will work closely with you to create a plan that fits their specific situation and allows for steady progress. Your child’s therapist may also provide at-home activities to complement in-session work, making the most of your child’s therapy journey.
If you ever have questions about your child’s schedule or progress, don’t hesitate to discuss them with your child’s therapist! Together, we’ll ensure your child gets the care they need to thrive.
What Progress Can I Expect To See With Pediatric Physical Therapy?
The progress your child can achieve with pediatric physical therapy depends on their unique needs, goals, and the challenges they’re working to overcome.
Our therapists develop personalized treatment plans specifically designed to help your child reach developmental milestones, improve strength and mobility, and build confidence in their own abilities.
For children recovering from injury or surgery, progress might include regaining movement, reducing discomfort, and returning to their favorite activities. For those with developmental delays or physical conditions, therapy can help improve motor skills like sitting, crawling, walking, balance, or making everyday tasks easier and more enjoyable.
As your child begins their physical therapy journey, it’s important to remember that progress often happens in small, meaningful steps. You might notice your child becoming more comfortable with movement, improving coordination, or tackling physical challenges with greater ease and confidence.
At Believe Therapies, our therapists use fun, play-based techniques to keep children engaged and motivated, and progress is celebrated every step of the way. Regular communication with your child’s therapist will help you understand what to expect and how to support your child at home.
With consistent effort, patience, and teamwork, pediatric physical therapy empowers your little one to reach their full potential, allowing them to thrive in their own unique way!
Are There At-home Activities To Support My Child’s Physical Therapy?
Yes! At-home activities are an excellent way to complement your child’s physical therapy and help them progress toward their goals.
Based on your child’s specific needs, your child’s therapist will likely provide personalized exercises to be performed with you at home to better help them reach their specific needs. These activities are designed to be safe, effective, and engaging for your child as we continue to help them achieve their goals.
At-home activities can include stretches to improve flexibility, strengthening exercises to build and maintain muscle, or balance games that make therapy feel like playtime. Simple household items, like a ball or a step stool, can often be used to make these exercises fun and accessible. For younger children, incorporating movement into storytime, songs, or games can turn therapy into a memorable bonding experience.
Remember that consistency is key, so creating a daily routine for these activities can make a big difference! Even small steps, practiced regularly, can lead to significant progress over time.
How Can Pediatric Physical Therapy Help My Child Improve Mobility?
Physical therapy is all about improving strength, flexibility, range of motion, and other vital mobility skills. After your child’s evaluation, our expert physical therapists will know exactly what areas of movement your child struggles with and develop a treatment plan designed to address those areas.
We do this through proven, play-based methods that make building physical skills fun and motivating. Our physical therapists may turn stretches and exercises into games that encourage your child to build their strength, flexibility, and coordination. We may also use specialized tools such as exercise balls or create obstacle courses to help your child increase their movement skills.
Our expert physical therapists can even help if your child is experiencing pain from a chronic condition or recent injury with evidence-based stretches and hands-on therapeutic techniques. And if your child needs an assistive device like a wheelchair or walker, we can help them build the skills they need to be able to use it effectively for confident mobility.
We’ll also offer practical suggestions and activities that you can do at home to help your child continue practicing their movement skills between therapy sessions. Our goal is to make therapy fun while working toward important physical development goals.
What Specific Conditions Do Pediatric Physical Therapists Treat?
Our pediatric physical therapists can treat any condition that impacts your child’s movement. Some of the most common conditions that we work with at our clinic include:
- Torticollis
- Toe walking
- Cerebral palsy
- Down syndrome
- Muscular dystrophy
- High muscle tone
- Low muscle tone
- Recent injuries or surgical procedures
- Developmental delays
We focus on making each therapy session fun using evidence-based methods that target key movement skills. Our physical therapists can use different exercises, stretches, and activities to help your child improve their:
- Strength
- Range of motion
- Flexibility
- Muscle tone
- Endurance
- Comfort
- Balance
- Coordination
- Posture
- Walking patterns
If your child is experiencing difficulty with movement due to a developmental delay, injury, recent surgery, or medical condition, our team is here to help. Reach out to Believe Therapies to schedule an evaluation with our expert physical therapists, and we’ll work with you to help your child overcome their physical challenges.
How Do Pediatric Physical Therapists Develop Individualized Treatment Plans?
The very first step of your child’s physical therapy treatment will be a comprehensive evaluation. This will include a conversation with you to gather information about their medical history and any challenges that you have noticed them facing. It will also include an assessment of your child’s physical abilities and limitations.
Using the information we get from this evaluation, our expert physical therapists will create a treatment plan designed to address your child’s specific needs. This may include exercises, activities, and stretches that will improve your child’s mobility. It may also include recommendations for assistive technology to support your child’s independent movement, or suggestions for changes you can make at home to help them move more freely.
Another key way that we will make your child’s treatment plan more individualized is to incorporate activities that your child enjoys. We’ll speak with your child to find out what they like, what they find challenging, and what they don’t like to ensure that every therapy session is fun and motivating for them.
Their therapy plan can also evolve to match your child’s interests and developmental needs. We regularly review and adjust activities to ensure that they are appropriately challenging and engaging for your child. This is how we make sure their treatment supports their developmental goals and their personal interests.
What Are Common Exercises Used In Pediatric Physical Therapy?
The specific activities and exercises that your child does in physical therapy will depend on their unique developmental needs and goals. Oftentimes, these exercises will look like playtime because that is a proven method that keeps children engaged and motivated during their treatment so they can build their physical skills.
Some of the exercises and activities we may do with your child include:
- Running through an obstacle course
- Wheelbarrow walking or crawling
- Climbing, jumping, or rolling around
- Balancing on stepping stones
- Planks, push ups, or sit ups
- Playing catch or Simon Says
- Jumping rope or hopping on one foot
- Bouncing on a trampoline
- Balancing on an exercise ball
- Carrying and stacking objects
- Stretches and yoga poses
- Walking up and down stairs
- Dancing
Your child’s pediatric physical therapist will choose the best activities that align with your child’s interests and movement abilities to ensure they will be motivated to participate.
We may also give you exercises or stretches that you can do at home with your child so they can continue building their physical skills between therapy sessions. Our goal is to help your child build key physical skills like strength, balance, and endurance in ways that are fun and effective.
Contact Us for More Information
Do you have any questions about our therapy services? Give us a call today at (936) 293-8800 or fill out the form below. Our staff will be happy to get you the answers you’re looking for.
