About Paediatric Physiotherapy
Children are not adults. Babies are not toddlers. Young children are not teenagers. Paediatric physiotherapy is a vast subject that deals with a multitude of challenges and issues that range from new-born babies through to late teen-age years.
The most typical areas of concern include:
- Physical child development being slower than expected, at each age range
- Childhood diseases and conditions that impact on development
- Disabled children
- Impacted neuromotor development
- Abnormal moving patterns
- Genetic conditions
- Orthopaedic injury
The most typical concerns that lead to a paediatric physiotherapist intervention include premature babies, those demonstrating slower than “expected” physical development or stiff and uncomfortable movement, and poor posture (growing pains!) and sport related injuries as children grow and experience new things.
It is particularly important to seek medical help with child-related injury or conditions, and to not assume that they are best handled in the same way as an adult body.
How Physiotherapy Helps
Physiotherapy in children works very closely with the parents and family to promote individual independence, participation and personal development. It is important that the child is comfortable in their own environment, and importantly that parents are a part of the rehabilitation process so to as to encourage and promote self-involvement outside of the physiotherapy sessions.
A range of techniques depending on the injury or condition may be employed, with one central element at the core – promoting self-ownership and independence to adopt new behaviour.