What is Pediatric Physical Therapy?

Pediatric physical therapy is therapy for children ages 0–21 and is designed to help children and adolescents with developmental disabilities, delays, injuries, or post-surgery needs.

Additionally, pediatric physical therapy can help children restore and improve their mobility, function, and ultimate quality of life through hands-on support and guidance from a trained physical therapist.

The goal is to help and educate both children and their parents/caregivers about how they can fully function and actively participate within their homes, schools, and daily lives. 

Pediatric physical therapy promotes functional independence for all ages by teaching and improving gross motor skills such as rolling, sitting, crawling, walking, running, jumping, climbing, balancing, etc.

We aim to provide support and services for children and their families so they can find success and mobility throughout their lives. 

Recommended Ages for Pediatric Physical Therapy

Pediatric physical therapy is primarily for individuals from birth to age 21. We have worked with newborns, young children, adolescents, teenagers, and young adults to help them better function within their own unique environments and communities.

The needs of each patient can vary based on lifestyle, diagnosis/symptoms, and of course age. We tailor our services and treatments specifically to each individual patient based on their specific needs. 

What to Expect

Before any therapy occurs, we like to have an initial analysis and evaluation of the patient’s needs and the caregiver’s concerns. Additionally, we will go over any prudent background information, health history, etc.

From there, the therapist may observe the child, his or her movements while exploring their environment, and assess what is lacking and how to improve gross motor skills. 

From there, the therapist may talk about what may be expected when it comes to the child’s progress with pediatric PT. And the therapist may even lay out a treatment plan for the patient for the coming weeks and months. This gives everyone an idea of expectations. 

For our pediatric patients specifically, their actual appointments should feel less clinical and more recreational, especially for the younger ones. Because many of our pediatric techniques and methodology involve activities and sometimes even games, younger children especially often really enjoy their PT appointments!

That being said, physical therapy is still working and it should challenge our patients enough so that their mobility, range of motion, and flexibility can improve over time. The goal as always is to support both caregiver and child in this journey. 

How Pediatric Physical Therapy Helps Children

Pediatric physical therapy can significantly help children reach age-appropriate milestones, improve strength, increase mobility, and achieve better coordination. This allows them to keep up with their peers and enjoy maximum function for their age.

The needs of children vary—from infants to children to youth to young adults. And basic skills such as walking, running, jumping, etc. are all important for children to have basic interactions within their environments and among their peers.

These skills and much more are considered gross motor skills and are necessary for children to successfully move within their world. Gross motor skills usually involve large muscle groups in the legs, arms, and torso and include whole-body movements. 

Pediatric physical therapy, like traditional physical therapy, is designed to promote full and active participation within the world. We want each patient to function independently and reach their own maximum potential. 

Pediatric physical therapy addresses:

• Developmental disabilities

• Developmental delays

• Injury recovery

• Post-surgery recovery

• Muscular weakness

• Coordination concerns

• And more

If you have concerns about your child and are considering pediatric physical therapy, talk to your child’s medical provider or contact us for more information.  

Conditions, Diagnoses, & Symptoms that Pediatric PT Treats

Pediatric PT addresses a whole host of conditions and diagnoses. Here are just a few: 

• Torticollis

• Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Sensory Processing Disorder

• Developmental Delay

• Developmental Coordination Disorder

• Toe Walking

• Low muscle tone

Additionally, if your child has any of the following symptoms, pediatric physical therapy may be able to help:

• Balance problems

• Coordination problems

• Stability struggles

• Jarring movements or lack of smoothness in movement transitions

• Difficulty participating in school activities

• Uneven or unbalanced walking pattern(s)

• Lack of endurance

• Prone to Injury

• Lack of independence

• Poor motor planning

If your child is struggling with one or more of these, or you have a concern and it was not mentioned, please contact your medical provider or call us and we’d be happy to help.

Duration of Treatment & Seeing Results

Depending on the child, their diagnosis, and their needs, the length or duration of pediatric physical therapy treatment will vary. Some children benefit from physical therapy appointments 1 or 2 times per week for about 4–6 weeks, if results are achieved. 

Remember, this is a generality, and your child may receive more or less frequent appointments based on progress and results. For example, with some of our older adolescent patients who are on the autism spectrum or who may have low muscle tone, their physical therapy treatment may even be ongoing. 

When you initially meet with your child’s therapist and as the child progresses throughout treatment, adjustments can be made to the duration and frequency of treatment. Ultimately, your child’s needs and progress will dictate frequency and duration of treatment. As results come, we can and will make adjustments accordingly. 

What about Pediatric Massage?

Just like how traditional massage can complement regular physical therapy, pediatric massage can be the key to a quicker recovery or faster progress for a pediatric patient.

With our pediatric patients especially, we aim to use pediatric massage to provide compassionate, nurturing, positive touch as a part of the healing process of a child. When strategically combined with physical therapy, pediatric massage can:

• Improve body awareness

• Relieve muscle tension

• Improve range of motion

• Provide relaxation

• Aid with improved sleep patterns

• Increase tactile input

• Improve circulation

• Improve gastrointestinal function

• Improve the parent-child connection

The skilled touch that a pediatric massage offers can help your child experience faster healing and overall improved health and wellbeing. And when applied in conjunction with pediatric physical therapy, we can set your child up for the greatest success possible.

Work with Dr. Lima Iype

Dr. Lima Iype

At FemFirstHealth, we feel more than confident to turn our pediatric patients over to our very own Dr. Lima Iype. With a doctorate of physical therapy from Long Island University and comprehensive training from the accredited and respected Liddle Kidz CPMT course, Dr. Lima has had the privilege of working with pediatric patients for over 11 years. Working with children from infancy to young adulthood, she has worked with all ages and many diagnoses to help her patients achieve better mobility, coordination, and function. And she enjoys collaborating with patients and their caregivers to determine the best care for their children.