Pediatric Physical Therapy

Physical Therapy will be fun way to play with an adult who wants to help you get stronger and move better and faster. Your physical therapist will create many fun games and activities that are designed to teach you new ways to move your body to access your house, playground, classroom, and other community areas.

In general, children who may benefit from physical therapy are children with medical diagnoses and musculoskeletal issues that limit their ability to achieve gross motor milestones at the same time as children who are typically developing. Sometimes, babies who are born prematurely, who have genetic syndromes, seizures, neuromuscular concerns such as hypertonicity and hypotonicity, who use medical devices such as gait trainers, walkers, wheelchairs or orthotics may benefit from physical therapy. Physical therapists also assist children with health and wellness activities and may support individuals who have orthopedic conditions such as scoliosis.

Pediatric PTs help babies, children, and young adults with conditions such as: Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, spina bifida, scoliosis, clubfoot, torticollis, gross motor delay, Autism, ankle or knee sprains, and more. PTs can also be essential after orthopedic surgeries or injuries such as an ACL repair, spinal fusion, labral tears in the shoulder, meniscus tears, hip dislocation, Blount’s Disease, Perthes Disease, and more.

Physical therapists will determine the most effective frequency for each child based on the information collected during a physical therapy examination and will create a plan of care that is individualized for each child while also taking into consideration the child’s insurance coverage for physical therapy services. A Physical Therapist will think about the child’s goals, prognosis, and develop an appropriate episode of care such as weekly, twice weekly, monthly, or daily PT in an intensive format to help children most effectively achieve goals and enjoy working towards gaining new skills and functional abilities.

The typical age span for a baby to learn to walk independently is between 10 and 16 months of age. If your baby is not pulling up to stand at furniture independently, standing unassisted, cannot walk with a push toy, or does not put his/her feet on the ground when you are holding him/her by 15 months of age, it is recommended that the parent follow-up with the pediatrician or contact a pediatric physical therapist for an evaluation.

All Physical Therapy programs in the United States are now Doctor of Physical Therapy programs. A physical therapist first earns a bachelor’s degree in a related field of study such as athletic training which is typically a 4-5 year undergraduate program. Then, the physical therapist completes a doctorate level graduate school program that is typically 3-3.5 years long. Some physical therapists go on to gain additional training in residency specialty programs, earn doctorate degrees in other fields of study, or specialize in an area and earn recognition as a Board-Certified Specialist through the American Physical Therapy Association.