Paediatric physiotherapy helps babies and children who are slow to roll, sit, crawl, stand or walk, who move differently from other children their age, or who are recovering from an injury or fracture. The aim is not to make a child "perform" exercises, but to give them many chances to practise better movement through play, with the right positions, support and challenge. Parents and caregivers are part of every session, because the hours you spend with your child each day matter far more than the time a therapist spends with them.
We see children with a range of needs, including cerebral palsy, global developmental delay, congenital muscular torticollis (a baby who always turns the head to one side), Down syndrome and low muscle tone, toe walking, flexible flat feet with pain or tiredness, clumsiness and poor balance, and stiffness or weakness after a fracture or plaster cast. Older children with sports or posture problems can also be seen, often alongside our sports injury physiotherapy and orthopaedic physiotherapy services. For children with neurological conditions, our approach overlaps with neuro physiotherapy principles adapted for growing bodies.
Every child develops at their own pace, and progress in physiotherapy is usually steady rather than sudden. Some problems, such as mild torticollis in a young baby, often improve well within a few months of regular stretching and positioning. Long-term conditions such as cerebral palsy need ongoing support through different ages, with goals that change as the child grows, starts school and becomes more independent. We set small, meaningful goals with you, such as sitting without support for play, walking a few steps holding a hand, or climbing stairs at home, and review them regularly.
Please see a doctor first if your child loses a skill they already had, has seizures, sudden weakness, a high fever with stiffness or unusual drowsiness, pain with swelling or redness in a joint, or has had a fall with suspected head injury or fracture. These need medical attention before physiotherapy.