The world can be a challenging place for children. For some kids, an accident or illness may affect their mobility. For others, delayed fine or gross motor development may affect their coordination, speech, education or ability to play with their peers. For kids with diagnosed neurological or physical conditions, lack of physical control may negatively affect the way they interact with their environment. In any of these cases, you may find yourself asking, “Does my child need physical therapy?”

 

 

 

Pediatric Physical Therapy is a form of therapy that uses various targeted exercises and specific movements aimed at strengthening the muscles and tendons in a fun and engaging environment that children respond well to and want to participate in.

 

Physical therapy sessions can include formulating a customized plan for your child’s unique needs, stretching and strengthening activities, creating and practicing movement patterns to meet normal development expectations, exercises to improve balance or posture, or even an evaluation as to whether or not adaptive equipment is needed.

 

 

There are many reasons a child may need physical therapy. However, there are three common reasons why families might seek therapy.

 

 

Your child may be experiencing developmental delays if they are not meeting the expected developmental milestones. This can be especially obvious during the first year of life such as an infant who favors rolling over only to one side or a child who is still not crawling by 11 months old.

 

Delays in older children may look like a child who has trouble keeping up when playing with peers, tripping often when walking, or complaining of pain when doing gross motor activities.

 

For children with developmental delays, physical therapy helps develop both gross and fine motor skills through therapeutic activities, exercises, and play sessions.

 

 

Cognitive difficulties or physical conditions often make movement difficult, and children with these conditions may struggle to control their movements.

 

A few examples of conditions that may benefit from physical therapy include:

 

Physical therapy benefits children experiencing these conditions by helping them strengthen and stretch their range of motion to prevent muscle contractures. It also provides parents and caretakers with the knowledge of how to better care for, position, play and exercise with their children at home.

 

 

Children who have otherwise developed normally but have experienced an injury, such as a broken bone, may require physical therapy in order to return to their prior level of function.

 

Physical therapy for injuries focuses on strengthening and range of motion exercises targeted at the injured muscles.

 

 

 

Regardless of a child’s reasons for needing physical therapy, participating in therapy will not only help children develop motor skills, strength and balance, it will also give them greater independence, a higher sense of self-esteem and better quality of life.

 

At Rapha Wellness Center, we provide compassionate and specialized pediatric physical, occupational, speech and sensory integration therapy for children of all ages. Our pediatric therapists help your child recover, improve overall coordination and learn to feel more secure, comfortable and focused in a fun and engaging environment.