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What Is Physiotherapy?
At Developing Hands, our pediatric physiotherapy services are dedicated to helping children improve their function, movement, strength, and overall physical capabilities. We address underlying health issues that may affect a child’s development. Our experienced physiotherapists work with children experiencing developmental or physical delays, utilizing their expertise to enhance motor skills essential for engaging in daily routines and activities. Our physiotherapists can also work with children who require general conditioning and strengthening or who are recovering from an injury, either sports-related or unrelated.
Our team is well-versed in addressing the specific needs of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, school-aged children, and youth. We believe in the power of early intervention, which plays a crucial role in enhancing a child’s mobility and motor skills. Whether a child requires general conditioning, strengthening, or rehabilitation from an injury—be it sports-related or otherwise—our physiotherapists are here to help them reach their optimal potential at every stage of life.
We employ fun, creative, and interactive activities to ensure that each session is enjoyable while effectively meeting each child’s therapeutic goals. Additionally, our services are complemented by pediatric occupational therapy and online speech therapy for kids, creating a comprehensive approach to your child’s developmental needs.
Availability:
- In Clinic
- In Home
- Remote/Virtual
How Can Physiotherapy Help My Child?
Pediatric physiotherapists focus on treating children and helping them achieve physical independence. Physiotherapists can address the following:
Helping Children MOVE
Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor skills require the ability to use the large muscles of the body in a controlled and coordinated manner to engage in everyday activities proficiently. For a child to properly use the smaller muscles of their body, they need to first strengthen and stabilize the larger muscles. At Developing Hands, our pediatric physiotherapy services focus on enhancing gross motor skills through fun and creative methods, enabling children to move and complete tasks effectively.
- Coordination / Balance
- Gait
- Strength & Tone
- Posture
- In-Toe Walking
- Lower Body Strength
Coordination/Balance
Coordination and balance are just some of the underlying skills a child needs to participate in various activities throughout their day. Our physiotherapists can provide strategies and activities to work on to enhance these skills and make completing daily activities less challenging and more attainable.
Gait
A proper gait pattern and form are essential for efficient mobility. Our physiotherapists work with children and families to educate on appropriate gait form and to enhance gait patterns for optimal mobility.
Muscle Strength & Tone
Muscle strength is the capacity of force a muscle can exert to push, pull, and lift against weight. Muscle strength can be enhanced through various activities, which, in turn, will affect the ability to complete tasks. If muscles are not used, they atrophy (become smaller and weaker), affecting the ability to engage in daily tasks effectively.
Muscle tone is the tension one has in their muscles during rest or during movement. Muscle tone does not change, but it can be altered temporarily through activities that stretch or strengthen the surrounding muscles to enhance function. A child with low muscle tone (hypotonia) may appear floppier and require greater effort to move. A child with high muscle tone (hypertonia) appears more rigid in their movement patterns and would require effort to complete the required movement. Our physiotherapists can provide strategies to help children function at their optimal level of performance given their tone.
Posture
Effective posture is needed to decrease pain and optimally function in daily tasks. Strong core muscles are one aspect of optimal postural control and stability. Our physiotherapists can provide strategies to enhance posture to proficiently engage in daily activities.
In-Toe Walking
Children who in-toe walk present with their toes pointing inwards rather than forward during gait. This can lead to more falls and trips when walking or running. This may be due to an inward twist of the thigh bone or calf bone, or it could be due to the shape of the child’s foot. Our physiotherapists can provide strategies to improve range of motion and strength, alleviating some of the impacts of this gait pattern.
Lower Body Strength
Our physiotherapists are skilled at understanding the importance of strength and stability as they impact a child’s ability to engage in their everyday activities proficiently. Fun and engaging exercises are practiced with the child to enhance their overall lower body strength.
Our physiotherapists are skilled at understanding the importance of strength and stability as they impact a child’s ability to engage in their everyday activities proficiently. Fun and engaging exercises are practiced with the child to enhance their overall lower body strength.
Helping Children MOVE
Muscle Tightness
Physiotherapists are equipped and trained to stretch and release muscle tightness around the body, enhancing mobility and effective engagement in daily activities. Our pediatric physiotherapy strategies provide both the child and family with activities designed to decrease muscle tightness, allowing for improved functioning.
Physiotherapists are equipped and trained to stretch and release muscle tightness around the body to enhance mobility and effective engagement in daily activities. Strategies are provided to the child and family to work on activities to decrease the tightness in muscles that may be impeding functioning.
- Torticollis
- Toe Walking
Torticollis
Torticollis presents in infants as tightness on one side of the neck that leads to the child’s head tilting and/or rotating to that one side. This impacts the child’s range of motion and head motion. Our physiotherapists work with children and their families on various exercises, including stretching of the muscles to alleviate the tightness and promote better head movement.
Toe Walking
Toe walking is exhibited when a child is walking on their tippy toes. There could be a few reasons why a child is walking on their toes, but one reason may be a tight Achilles tendon, which connects the lower leg muscles to the heel of the foot. Our physiotherapist can provide a few recommendations to address toe walking, including stretching tight muscles to promote a more functional gait pattern.
Helping Children MOVE
Developmental Milestones
Our physiotherapists work on meeting a child’s developmental milestones in various important areas of growth, including tummy time, rolling, crawling, sitting, standing, and walking. Our therapists work closely with families to determine the root causes of concerns and to provide guidance and strategies needed to meet the child where they are at and build the necessary skills to achieve their next milestones.
- Tummy Time
- Crawling
- Walking
- Standing
- Rolling
- Sitting
Helping Children MOVE
Premature Babies
Physiotherapists work with families of premature babies to provide strategies to enhance their healthy growth and development to effectively meet their developmental milestones.
- Muscle Strengthening
- Range of Motion
- Developmental Milestones
Helping Children MOVE
Rehabilitation
Our physiotherapists are experienced in working with children across various diagnoses. We aim to optimize their level of functioning and enable them to carry out activities that are meaningful to them as independently as possible. This holistic approach, combined with our pediatric occupational therapy and online speech therapy for kids, ensures comprehensive care for your child’s developmental needs.
- Post Operative
- Motor Vehicle Accident
- Sports Injury
- Diagnoses
Why Choose Developing Hands
Pediatric Physiotherapy?
At Developing Hands, we are a multidisciplinary team passionate about providing the highest quality of care to children and support to families. Our physiotherapists are regulated practitioners and are leaders in providing pediatric care. Our physiotherapists serve families with babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children, addressing their needs at various stages of their developmental milestones. Developing Hands has been proudly serving the community for over 12 years and continues to strive to provide exceptional services to children and families.
Please contact us for more information about our physiotherapy (PT) services.
Locations We Serve
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NOTE: Clinic visits are by appointment only
