Most commonly when one thinks about physiotherapy, one thinks of an injury that they sustained at work or when playing sports that they needed help with. Paediatric physiotherapy is a specific area of physiotherapy requiring additional training and different courses of management. As parents ourselves, we realize that your children are your most important consideration, and the choice of who you have involved in their health care is not taken lightly. As such, we endeavour to provide patient and family-centred services for your children. We believe in an active approach to paediatric physiotherapy that involves you in your child’s therapy and long-term plan for recovery. By being involved during the assessment, treatments and in your child’s home exercise program, many parents feel empowered in their own ability to help their children once therapy is complete.

Paediatric physiotherapy is the treatment of any childhood condition that may limit or threaten physical development and, later on, affect adulthood. We commonly see very young children, adolescents and babies and play a central role in management of their physical limitations or injuries over the years. Our role is not only in resolving the pain from a sprained ankle during soccer practice, but in prevention of injury for your children. In very young children, the role of a physiotherapist often becomes one of offering exercise and play to work towards their physical goals and enhancing your family’s overall well-being. We offer suggestions on appropriate footwear, special equipment, developmental toys and home or school modifications. This can often help prevent problems developing in later years, improving posture, arm or leg control and sitting early in life.

The most common developmental conditions that we provide therapy for include, but are not limited to:

• Cerebral Palsy
• Talipes (“club feet”)
• Delayed motor skills (i.e. crawling, sitting, rolling or walking)
• Spina Bifida
• Achondroplasia

For many developmental conditions, a team-approach to therapy is essential. This involves your child, your family, the family physician or paediatric specialist, your physiotherapist and anyone else who is involved in your child’s care routinely. For specific home or school-based therapy, we typically consult with either a physiotherapist or occupational therapist who is directly involved in these settings. Not all conditions or injuries that we see are one of development. We commonly treat sport-related childhood injuries, injuries following motor vehicle accidents and those unavoidable slip-and-falls. This can be as simple, yet debilitating, as a sprained ankle or wrist to a broken bone.

Conditions occurring later in life that we routinely see include:

• Cystic fibrosis
• Muscular dystrophy
• Asthma
• Fracture involving growth plates
• Lower limb alignment disorders
• Legg-Calves-Perthes Disease
• Osgood-Schlatters Disease
• Sever’s Disease

Please feel free to contact the clinic with any questions about our specific services or your child’s needs. We would be happy to discuss your concerns prior to having you visit the clinic; this can often allow us to determine if physiotherapy is the appropriate course of action at this time, or if consultation is needed with another professional. We are happy to provide you with appropriate contacts should physiotherapy not be the necessary course of action at this time. We are happy to assist you.