Physical Therapy
A physical therapist (PT) uses their expertise in movement to develop, restore, and/or improve a child’s mobility to enhance their quality of life, and promote health and wellness. Our physical therapy team facilitates gross motor development and function, improves strength, coordination, and endurance, and fosters independent participation. This includes skills such as running, jumping, crawling, rolling, reaching, throwing, and overall physical engagement. The goal of PT is for children to learn to move their bodies, how and when they want, to the best of their ability.
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View the tabs below for more details.
Areas addressed by our Physical Therapists
Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor skills involve using coordinated movement patterns of the large muscles of your body (arms, legs, and trunk) to engage in daily tasks. Children use their gross motor skills to function independently at home, school, and in the community for things such as climbing onto the bus, sitting upright in a chair, or reaching up to give their mom a hug.
Gross motor tasks continually improve throughout a child’s developmental progression and are needed to complete our everyday tasks throughout a lifespan. Kids develop at different rates and have different areas of strength and areas of growth. During a PT evaluation, we complete a standardized assessment tool (such as the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales Ed. 2 or the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Ed. 2) to determine if your child would qualify for therapy services based on their functional performance level.
Gross motor skills are related to:
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Coordination
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Strength
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Endurance
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Balance
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Body awareness
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Reaction time
Resources
Animal Walks (coming soon!)
Gait & Mobility
A child’s gait (ability to walk) and their mobility (ability to move) are significant goals that our physical therapy team commonly address. Our PTs are highly trained to assess and analyze the motor plans and supporting skills (such as core strength and balance) needed for a child’s optimal gait and mobility independence. PT implements individualized, fun, and motivating activities to improve these challenging areas. When addressing gait and mobility, the goal of physical therapy is to improve the child’s ability to participate at home, school, and in the community, to keep up with their peers.
Would my kid benefit from this service?
Children with difficulties with gait and mobility may:
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frequently stumble or fall (more frequently than peers)
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walk on their toes
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unable to run or walk as quickly as their peers
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walk with toes pointed inward or outward
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requiring holding on for support during walking
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complain of pain or discomfort after walking longer distanced
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become tired quickly from walking
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*This is not an all inclusive list. If you have questions, give us a call!
Resources
Infant/Toddler Development
Developmental milestones are skills that many children learn by a certain age. Children reach these milestones by how they play, learn, and engage with the world around them. Many infants and toddlers, even without a formal diagnosis, struggle to accomplish these milestones for a variety of contributing factors. Our physical therapy team can help caregivers determine what are appropriate recommended skillsets for their child and identify individualized interventions to assist them in reaching those goals.
It is important to note that all children are unique in their development. The guidelines below are available to assist in the identification of a potential need for a referral for a physical therapy evaluation.
Developmental Gross Motor Milestones:
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0-2 months: turns head side to side while laying, holds head up for a few seconds, sporadic movement of arms and legs
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3-4 months: props on forearms in tummy time, holds trunk up in support sitting, rolls over
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5-6 months: sits independently, grasps onto feet when laying on back, transitions from lying to sitting position
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7-8 months: army crawls or rolls short distances to obtain toy, reaches further distances for toy while sitting
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9-10 months: crawls, pulls up to stand
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11-14 months: cruises along furniture, bounces in standing, takes a few steps, maintains kneeling
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15-18 months: walks longer distances, walks up and down stairs while holding onto support
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18-24 months: runs, walks backwards, jumps, throws and kicks a ball
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2-3 years: stands on one foot, walks on balance beam or line, pedals tricycle, attempts to catch a ball
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*This is not an all inclusive list. If you have questions, give us a call
Resources
Orthopedic Services
Our physical therapy team specializes in orthopedic services that focus on improving functional impairments of the musculoskeletal system (muscles, bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and nerves). Whether a child is struggling due to a condition they were born with (such as club foot) or an acquired injury (such as a broken bone or a pulled muscle) our PTs aim to restore function, improve mobility, and relieve discomforts while promoting overall health and fitness. Additionally, our pediatric PTs have a dedicated focus on the developmental care of a child by taking into consideration their growing bodies during this therapeutic process.
Commonly Treated Orthopedic Conditions
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Sports Injuries
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Loss of balance/strength/endurance
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Broken bones
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Concussions
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Sprains/Strains
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Club foot
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Knee Injuries (ACL)
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Postoperative
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Postural Dysfunction
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Scoliosis
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Repetitive Stress Injuries
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Back Pain
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Shoulder Pain
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*This is not an all inclusive list. If you have questions, give us a call
Resources
Equipment
A child with special needs may benefit from the use of adaptive equipment to help facilitate their movement, independence, and participation in a variety of settings.
Would my kid benefit from this service?
Types of adaptive equipment:
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gait trainer
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walker
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wheelchair
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activity chair
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feeding seat
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stander