Physical therapy refers to various treatment strategies to restore mobility, promote function and healing and provide education and consultation to children, families and other health care providers.

Physical Therapists at Children’s Specialized Hospital work with patients and families to help the child reach their full potential by minimizing impairments while promoting mobility and function for participation in their home and community. Our pediatric physical therapists are specialists in the unique needs of children, adolescents and young adults from birth through 21 years of age. Therapists are experts in a variety of treatment interventions allowing them to individualize a plan of care to meet the unique needs of the child and family in both the inpatient and outpatient programs.

Physical Therapy evaluation and treatment may include:

• Ongoing observation and analysis of the child’s functional abilities and struggles
• Identification of impairments
• Provision of strategies and home activity suggestions to encourage mobility, increase strength and flexibility, improve balance and coordination, prevent deformities or further injury, overall wellness and fitness recommendations
• Assess needs for equipment and bracing and make appropriate referrals
• Coordination of care with other health care providers
•  Partnering with families to develop specific objective, measurable and time based goals to focus the care
• Provide episodic care to reach patient and families goals with a focus on helping you and your child to develop skills and knowledge to carryover at home and continue to progress after therapy ends.

Your physical therapist will work with you to help develop a plan for your child taking into consideration:

• Your child’s needs based on their diagnosis
• Goals that you and / or your child have for therapy
• Evidence (if available) or best practice standards for the amount of therapy needed
• How your child progresses during therapy
• What resources are available (your availability, transportation; funding; family support etc.) to you and your child
• Agreement by the referring physician on the plan of care, frequency and duration of treatment and discharge plan

Our physical therapy programs at Children’s Specialized Hospital treat children with a wide range of diagnoses including but not limited to:

 

• Acute medical conditions
• Amputation
• Arthrogryposis
• Brain injury
• Burns
• Cerebral palsy
• Developmental delays
• Genetic disorders
• Low tone
• Lymphedema
• Autism
• Neuromuscular disorders
• Osteogenesis Imperfecta
• Orthopedic disorders
• Pre op
• Post op
• Respiratory problems
• Spina Bifida
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Sports Injuries
• Torticollis
• Pain / RND

Interventions recommended may include but are not limited to:

• Aquatic therapy – warm water exercise
• Balance and coordination activities
• Serial Casting, splinting or bracing
• Developmental facilitation
• Endurance Training
• Equipment training (walkers, crutches, orthotics, prosthetics, standers, wheelchairs etc.)
• Gait training for difficulty walking
• Home Exercise programs
• Kinesiotaping
• Land based treatment
• Neuromuscular Reeducation
•  Posture exercises
•  Strength exercises
• Stretching for flexibility
• FES – Functional Electric Stimulation