Physical Therapy - Developing Strength for Tomorrow
Understanding how a child's motor performance develops, and how it is related to the child's cognitive development, is the basis of pediatric physical therapy.
At Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, our physical therapists work to minimize the effect that accidents, disease or developmental disabilities have on keeping children, adolescents and young adults from reaching their full potential.
For children who face physical challenges, long-term disabilities or injuries, physical therapy offers an opportunity for life-changing progress. Our therapists are specially trained and skilled in working with children who have developmental delays, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, autism, and torticollis, among others. We also work with young people and teenagers who are recovering from sports injuries.
What Physical Therapy Offers
Out therapists use positive approaches and age-appropriate activities and techniques to improve a child's motor skills, balance and coordination, and strength and endurance. We work with other health professionals to enhance fine motor skills , as well as cognitive and sensory processing..
What to Expect in Treatment
Your child's evaluation
During the first few visits, our physical therapists will evaluate your child according to his specific condition and needs.
The therapist will:
- Observe and analyze the way your child moves, plays and walks
- Identify potential posture and alignment problems
- If your child has pain, determine the source of the pain and provide techniques to relieve it
- Provide instructions for home exercise programs
- Consult with other medical professionals and school personnel
- If your child has a sports injury, recommend a safe time to return to sports
A Customized Plan for Treatment
After thoroughly evaluating your child, the physical therapist will create a treatment plan that might include any of the following:
- Activities to ease and encourage movement and to help your child reach normal developmental milestones
- Strength training
- Stretching exercises to improve muscle flexibility
- Balance and coordination activities to decrease falls and injuries
- Adaptive play activities to allow a child to participate in school or recreational activities such as T-ball or basketball
- Water therapy to strengthen weak muscles
- Techniques to help prevent injuries and keep your child safe
- Various stimulation therapies to improve circulation around injuries
- Training in the use of equipment that helps replace lost function or promotes independent movement
Our physical therapists collaborate with occupational therapists, physicians and other specialists to maximize each child's potential with specific programs customized to each patient's unique needs.
At Cincinnati Children's, we use a program know as Models of Therapy to help decide how often and for how long therapy services are needed. Your therapist will provide you with a brochure to help explain the Models of Therapy and will work with you to develop the best plan of care for your child.
In addition, our therapists communicate with the patient, family, physicians and teachers to ensure appropriate treatment.
Ultimately, our goal is to help your child progress to a point where he will not longer need therapy services.
