Pediatric Physiotherapy: How Physiotherapy Can Help Your Child
Children are constantly growing and developing, reaching new milestones every day. Whether it’s learning how to walk, recovering from a fall off their bike, or starting a new sport, movement plays an important role in a child’s everyday life. Sometimes, children may need extra support to reach these milestones safely and confidently, which is where pediatric physiotherapy treatment can help.
What Makes Pediatric Physiotherapy Beneficial?
- Supports physical development: Helps children develop important motor skills like balance, strength, and coordination.
- Encourages an active lifestyle: Physiotherapy can help your child build stronger muscles and joints, preparing your children to participate in sports and recreational activities comfortably and safely.
- Builds confidence: Promotes independence and boosts self-esteem by improving mobility and reducing pain or weakness.
- Prevents injury and supports injury recovery: A physiotherapist can identify muscle imbalances, posture concerns, or areas of weakness early on, helping your child build healthy movement patterns and reduce the risk of future pain or injuries. Physiotherapy can also help your child safely rebuild strength and movement after sports injuries or other physical setbacks.
- Enhances quality of life: Relieves physical discomfort and improves your child’s daily life and overall health and well-being.
How Pediatric Physiotherapy Supports Your Child’s Movement And Development
Physiotherapists support your child’s movement and development by assessing how your child moves, identifying areas of difficulty, and creating a treatment plan based on their individual needs. Treatment can include exercises and activities that enhance motor skills, strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, and posture.
Physiotherapists also can provide parents and caregivers with exercises and strategies to use at home, helping support progress in everyday activities and encouraging children to be more confident and independent in their movement.
Signs Your Child May Benefit From Pediatric Physiotherapy
Every child develops at their own pace, but certain movement challenges may be a sign that some extra support could be helpful.
Some signs that your child may benefit from pediatric physiotherapy include:
1. Difficulty Reaching Certain Milestones
If your child is having difficulty learning to sit, crawl, stand, or walk, physiotherapy can help build the strength and movement skills needed to reach these crucial developmental points.
2. Struggling To Keep Up During Physical Activities
Children who become tired quickly or struggle to keep up during sports, and other physical activities may benefit from exercises that improve strength, endurance, and mobility.
3. Recurring Pain Or Discomfort
Ongoing pain during sports, physical activity, or everyday movement may benefit from a physiotherapy assessment to identify contributing factors and develop a corresponding treatment plan.
How You Can Support Your Child’s Movement In Everyday Life
Encourage Active Play
Activities like riding a bike, playing at the playground, dancing, or playing catch can help improve strength, coordination, and balance while keeping movement fun for both you and your child!
Celebrate Progress
Every child develops at their own pace. Recognizing improvements, whether they’re big or small, can help build your child’s confidence and motivate them to stay active.
Limit Screen Time
Encourage regular movement breaks throughout the day, especially after long periods of sitting at school or using electronic devices.
Wondering why and how limiting screen time is good for your child and their health?
Here is a great video that explains why and how you should work towards limiting the amount of time your child spends on electronic devices:
Pediatric Physiotherapy Exercises You Can Do With Your Child At Home
Staying active at home is a great way to support your child’s physical development and reinforce the progress they’re making during physiotherapy. Simple exercises can help improve many different motor and movement skills while providing an opportunity for quality time together. Many physiotherapy exercises for children can be made fun and incorporated into everyday play.
Below are some child-friendly exercises that can help encourage healthy movement habits and build confidence in physical activity.
1. Bird Dog
This exercise helps improve core strength, stability, balance, and coordination in children. It encourages children to use both sides of their body together, which helps develop body awareness and motor control. A strong and stable core is important for a child’s everyday activities such as maintaining good posture, running, jumping, and participating in sports.
2. Wall Sit
This is a simple exercise that helps children build strength and endurance in their legs while encouraging proper posture and body control. It targets important muscles in the thighs, hips, and glutes that are used during everyday activities such as walking, running, climbing stairs, and playing sports. This exercise can also improve muscular endurance, helping children maintain strength during longer periods of physical activity.
3. Hamstring Stretch
This stretch helps improve flexibility in the muscles along the back of the legs, which can become tight from prolonged sitting, sports, or periods of reduced activity. For children, maintaining flexibility can make everyday movements such as walking, running, bending, climbing stairs, and playing, more comfortable and efficient. Good hamstring flexibility can also support children when participating in sports that involve running, jumping, kicking, or quickly changing direction. Incorporating appropriate stretching into a child’s routine can help them maintain healthy movement and mobility as they grow. Our physiotherapists can recommend the appropriate stretching technique and intensity based on your child’s individual needs and abilities.
FAQ
At SOS Physiotherapy, we work with children ages birth-18 years old to ensure the best quality of care for each child. Your child’s first appointment focuses on understanding their movement and identifying the root cause of their symptoms. It usually includes:
- A conversation about your child’s movement, daily activities, and goals.
- A thorough exam of injury (and areas that might be causing it to get worse)
- Individualized treatment and education, along with a fun exercise environment where your child can rehab their injury and learn exercises they can do at home while preventing any future injuries
- Personalized plan of care specific to your child’s situation
No. Pediatric physiotherapy can support your child with a variety of movement skills, including improving coordination, strength, balance, posture, confidence with physical activity, and overall participation in daily activities.
Our physiotherapists can assess your child’s individual needs and create a personalized plan to help them move comfortably, safely, and confidently.
It’s very easy! Just give us a call by finding the appropriate phone number below, or fill out an appointment request below and our team will help you find a time that works best for you and your child’s schedule.