Pediatric physical therapy was a large focus of about a year of my PT schooling. I was able to assist my classmates in treating some special little patients. And I had several experts in the field teaching me the challenging but rewarding task of treating children. Wow, what an experience!
I never thought I would ever treat kids again after school, as my heart was in orthopedic care, and that’s what was exciting to me. I’m sure many of you have experienced, as I did, the distinct sound of God laughing when I made those plans. 🙂
So, fast-forward to this “orthopedic career” that I dove into and lo and behold, little bitty feet are consistently walking or being carried through my door. It’s great. I’ve found that when you are a physical therapist in a rural area, you just treat whomever comes through the door with all the knowledge and compassion you have, and the outcomes are always as they should be.
But, back to these precious little humans, physical therapy can assist a child with many different things. With the treatment of kids the main focus is fun. A win for me is thinking of an activity that the child finds totally exciting that also works to address the impairments they have.
Below is a list of the most common diagnoses that I currently see. If you feel your child is in need of a little extra assistance beyond what you or your doctor can provide in any of these areas, I would be so excited to help! Kids are almost always the highlight of my day. Just request a referral (physical therapy prescription) from your doctor!
- Foot, ankle, lower leg or knee pain
- Growing pains
- Torticollis
- Flat foot/low arch (Especially if a physician orders orthotics, we do those here!)
- Ankle sprain
- Stiffness, pain, decreased muscle bulk after cast removal
- Poor balance, frequent tripping, frequent falls
- Awkward walking or running patterns
- Low back or hip pain
- Neck pain
- Shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand pain
- Any sprain or strain
- Developmental Delay (not crawling, walking, etc)
- Cerebral Palsy
- Autism
- Upper or lower extremity paralysis
- Aftercare of any type of orthopedic surgery
