How Can a Physical Therapist Help My Child?

Physical Development, Injuries, and More

Walking up the stairs, signing your name, and even feeding yourself are all actions that are easy to take for granted. 

But what happens if your child has issues with these or any other daily physical tasks?

Physical therapy (PT) is a great option for improving strength, balance, mobility, and even confidence in children.. 

In this article, we’ll dive headfirst into learning how a physical therapist can help your child, what to expect during a PT session, and how to find the best treatment for your kid.

What Is a Physical Therapist?

A physical therapist is a healthcare professional who evaluates and treats bodily pain, disorders, injuries, or other issues. Oftentimes patients will complete specific exercises during each physical therapy session to help increase their strength, mobility, coordination, and other movements.

When it comes to physical therapy for children, pediatric physical therapists specialize in working with teenagers, young kids, toddlers, and even babies, creating treatment plans that cater to each child’s specific needs. Pediatric therapists will incorporate fun, yet challenging activities that feel like play for their young patients.

Signs My Child Needs to See a Pediatric Physical Therapist

PT is for people of all ages. But when it comes to kids, it may be difficult for them to voice their pain or any struggles they’re having depending on their age and abilities.

If you notice that your child is experiencing any of the following signs, then PT may be the right fit for them:

• Suffering an injury (sports-related or non sport-related)
• Developmental delays & missed milestones (unable to crawl, walk, hold a pencil, etc.)
• Falls frequently
• Has been diagnosed with a disorder that makes movement difficult
• Has Imbalances and muscle weakness

If you have any concerns about your kid’s health and well-being, it’s always important that you reach out to their pediatrician right away.

How Can a Physical Therapist Help My Child?

Even if your kid isn’t suffering from a major injury, physical therapy is a great way to help your child improve in any areas they may struggle with, aid in overall physical development, and help them accomplish daily activities.

Here are some of the main ways a physical therapist can help your child:

1. Increase Strength

A physical therapist will work with your child to increase their strength. While this doesn’t necessarily mean your kid will be hitting the weight room, the activities the therapist will have your kid do during PT and at home are designed to be entertaining, yet challenging:

• Practice climbing play ladders
• Completing fun obstacle courses by running and jumping
• Play with toys designed to increase strength
• Participate in games that encourage movement
• Aquatic therapy

2. Increase flexibility and mobility 

Being physically healthy doesn’t always mean just strength–flexibility and mobility can be just as important! A pediatric physical therapist will implement fun and interactive exercises that will help your child become more flexible and increase their mobility, which can help them accomplish more daily tasks, decrease pain, and even prevent injury.

3. Improve Balance and Coordination

If your child struggles with balance and coordination, your kid’s therapist will incorporate exercises to help them improve their motor skills. Just like with strength training, exercises will be a fun challenge:

• Walking on a balance beam for coordination
• Walking on a line on the ground without stepping a foot off of it

4. Hit Age-Appropriate Physical Development Milestones

Every child develops at their own rate. Some hit key developmental milestones like crawling and walking sooner than others, while some may do so a little later. However, it’s critical that you visit your kid’s pediatrician if they’re regularly missing developmental milestones—physical development or not. 

If you find that your child has issues holding their pencil, running around, or even crawling, then PT can help your kid develop physically and hit those milestones.

5. Treat Injuries

Whether your child is a sports lover or has never picked up a basketball, there’s always a possibility they could get injured somehow, someway. At PT, therapists can treat a variety of injuries ranging from concussions to knee pain. 

6. Prevent Injuries

Your kid’s therapist will create a customized plan that can help them prevent (another) injury in the future by building strength, mobility, flexibility, and more. Most of the time your kid can continue this plan at home, long after their last PT session.

7. Manage Chronic Illnesses or Disorders

PT is for anyone looking to improve physically—from holding a fork to being able to stand on their own, therapists want to help their patients succeed. Many patients with neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and other disorders that hinder movement can benefit from regular movement and PT. A therapist will help them work through exercises that with time, may increase their overall quality of life.

8. Gain Independence

If your kid has limitations due to an injury, disorder, or other difficulty, then they need more help than usual accomplishing daily tasks, such as tying their shoes or climbing stairs on their own. PT can help them decrease pain and practice movements they need to start doing more on their own!

9. Play More!

No matter your kid’s age, play is an important part of their daily life and helps them learn how to interact with the world around them. That could mean crawling around during floor play or kicking around a soccer ball at recess. If your kid struggles with any movement-based activities, this could hurt their socialization and confidence. PT can help them improve their abilities and play more!

10. Boost Confidence

As your kid grows stronger and more independent with more and more PT sessions, you’ll see them start to gain their confidence back as they accomplish tasks they see other kids their age do. Is there a better feeling than seeing your happy kid succeed?

What Will My Child Do During Physical Therapy?

If you or your kid have never been to physical therapy, you may be wondering what goes on in each session. Here’s what to expect when starting PT:

• STEP 1: Find a Pediatric Physical Therapist

• STEP 2: Schedule an Evaluation
  • During your kid’s evaluation, your new therapist will get to know your child better and will test for any limitations. Don’t worry, you’ll be with your kid the whole time and will be able to help them explain any struggles that they’re experiencing.

• STEP 3: Come Up With a Gameplan
  • Your PT will create a customized treatment plan for your kid based on their professional opinion, offering a potential timeline of treatment, as well as other resources to learn more about your child’s injury or limitation. 

• STEP 4: First Session
  • And…you’re off! During the first session, your kid will dive head-first into fun activities designed to help them increase strength, flexibility, mobility, coordination, and more.

• STEP 5: Practice…. And Improvement!
  • Seeing improvement from PT may take some time. But as long as your kid sticks with it and you help them with any at-home exercises, chances are you’ll begin to see them grow stronger and succeed in activities that may once have been difficult.

How to Find the Best Pediatric Physical Therapist 

Looking for a pediatric physical therapist? 

At Coral Care, we’ll match your child with the best pediatric specialist for them. Reach out to us today to set up your first in-home session!