Pediatric Physiotherapy for kids aged 3 to 7 aims to address the unique physical needs and developmental challenges of young children. Through a blend of play-based exercises and therapeutic techniques, our Pediatric Physiotherapists create a nurturing and engaging environment that encourages children to improve their motor skills, balance, coordination, and overall physical strength.
Our treatments are carefully tailored to your child’s individual abilities and interests, ensuring that the therapy feels like fun and games rather than a task. By focusing on early intervention, Pediatric Physiotherapy empowers children to achieve their developmental milestones, enhance their mobility, and build the foundation for a healthy, active, and independent future.
Some conditions that our Pediatric Physiotherapists can treat in toddlers and youth are:
- Gross Motor Skill Development Learn more
- Pediatric Pelvic Floor Conditions (Ex. toilet training, bed wetting, constipation)
- Activity or Sport Related Injuries (Ex. fractures, dislocations, post-surgical, muscle strains, etc.) Learn more
- Pediatric Concussion Learn more
- Age and Growth Related Difficulties (Ex. growing pains, Sever’s Disease, Osgood Schlatter’s) Learn more
- Other Conditions (Ex. Toe walking, Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease, Scoliosis)
- Conditions that cause lower muscle tone (Ex. Down’s Syndrome)
- Conditions that cause increased muscle tone (Ex. Cerebral Palsy)
Gross Motor Skill Development
Developing gross motor skills in early childhood involves the coordinated use of large muscle groups to allow kids to engage in various physical activities and explore their surroundings with confidence and enthusiasm. If you are noticing that your toddler or child is behind on their milestones, Pediatric Physiotherapy can help! Some important milestones by age 3 are: walking, running, jumping, and throwing.
Through our Pediatric treatments, we will support your children to enhance their balance, coordination, strength, and spatial awareness through fun exercises and age-appropriate activities.
Activity or Sport-Related Injuries
Activity or sport-related injuries in kids are quite common. During this stage of development, children are learning to master various motor skills and are eager to engage in physical activities. While these activities are essential for their growth and development, they also come with inherent risks. Young kids may experience injuries such as minor bumps, bruises, muscle strains and ligament sprains from running, jumping, and climbing.
Fractures or dislocations can occur from falls or collisions during sports play with some requiring surgery and post-surgical follow-up. Additionally, overuse injuries may develop from repetitive movements in activities like gymnastics or swimming. As young children are still developing their coordination and balance, the risk of injury can be higher.
Our team of Pediatric Physiotherapists are here to help ensure that your child can return to play as quickly and safely as possible while also assisting in reducing the risk of re-injury.
Pediatric Concussion
A concussion is defined as a mild traumatic brain injury caused by either a direct blow to the head or a whiplash related mechanism. The rapid movement of the head causes the brain to move around or twist within the skull. Ultimately, this injury creates temporary chemical changes in the brain and if goes untreated may lead to long term problems. Anyone can sustain a concussion and experience associated symptoms such as, but not limited to, headache, dizziness, confusion, difficulty remembering, fogginess, and sensitivity to light.
A concussion within the first few days and weeks (acute concussion) requires specific assessment and management. When concussion symptoms last longer than 4 weeks in adolescents it is considered Post Concussion Syndrome. Even though a concussion can be treated at any point within the healing process, we encourage you to be assessed as soon as possible for optimal recovery.
Treatment
After the completion of an assessment, the patient and parent will be thoroughly educated to ensure full comprehension of proper management of their concussion at home. During one on one management, the patient can expect more specific treatment to target associated symptoms. This could include vestibular and ocular retraining, manual therapy to focus on cervical soft tissue and exercise training. The therapists will give guidance on returning to daily activities, school and sports. To ensure a safe return, the patient will be guided through gradual Return to Sport and Learn protocols.
Growth Related Difficulties
Children may experience a range of growth-related difficulties that can impact their physical development and well-being. Some common conditions we treat are:
- Posture
- Growing pains (aching most commonly in the legs)
- Osgood-Schlatter’s Disease
- A common condition that affects the knee area, particularly in physically active children involved in activities like running and jumping. It results in pain and swelling just below the knee.
- Sever’s Disease
- A condition affecting the heel, typically seen in children who engage in sports involving running and jumping. This condition occurs when the growth plate in the heel becomes inflamed, leading to discomfort and tenderness.
- Coordination issues
- If you are noticing these issues in your child, our Pediatric Physiotherapists can play an important role in managing and alleviating pain. By developing a tailored exercise program to improve strength and flexibility around the affected areas and providing guidance on activity modification and proper biomechanics to prevent further aggravation. We can also provide hands-on treatment and other modalities to reduce muscle tension and improve your child’s comfort to enable them to return to age-appropriate activities.
Our Kid Team
