Pediatric Physiotherapy

What does it entail? Pediatric physiotherapy is a specialized form of physiotherapy, aimed at babies, toddlers, and school-aged children up to 18 years. All these age groups require specific treatment. Children learn through play. By moving and playing, children develop their motor skills and senses. However, for some children, this does not happen naturally. This can have various causes: problems with processing sensory stimuli, perceptual disorders, improper functioning of joints and muscles or the nervous system. A lack of movement can also lead to poor motor skills. If you notice that your child is not moving well, you can consult a pediatric physiotherapist.

Does your Child Have an Atypical Gait?

We regularly attend courses to stay up-to-date in our field. It is valuable to learn more about recent developments. This has also led to a fresh perspective on testing and treatments for gait disorders.

It is quite common for a child to have a different way of walking than other children. Sometimes this is noticeable on the sports field, but also during gym class or when playing outdoors. You might then wonder what to do: your child is perfectly healthy, but still? Where should you go for advice?

We can perform several tests and make a recording of the child’s walking. We can also provide advice regarding toeing-in or toeing-out. Some children walk with their knees turned inward, some on their toes, while others swing their legs outward when running. Is this a normal variation of the gait pattern, or is it atypical?

You can consult a pediatric physiotherapist to get an answer to this question and, if necessary, start a treatment.

Not all questions can be answered immediately. In such cases, consultation will take place with the general practitioner and possibly a pediatric orthopedist.

More about Pediatric Physiotherapy

What signs can you recognize? Signs in babies include: congenital abnormalities, delayed motor development, preferential head posture, hyperextension, too little or too much activity, excessive crying, asymmetry, and restless behavior. (Many of these abnormalities are often detected at the well-baby clinic). Signs in older children include: motor clumsiness, stiff movements, persistent or recurring pain in the musculoskeletal system, chronic conditions such as respiratory problems, difficulty with writing, or difficulty responding to environmental stimuli.

Injuries: children do not always indicate in time when they are experiencing discomfort during sports. However, during growth, so much changes in your child’s body that injuries can easily occur, even without a fall or clear cause. Signs: pain, limping, reluctance to participate in sports, pain when getting out of bed, fear of movement.

What do we do?
Before treatment begins, an intake and examination take place. Afterwards, the findings of the examination are discussed, and a plan for how to proceed is established. The treatment plan is discussed with parents and child in advance. Parents play an important role in the treatment. By being present during the treatment, they gain a clear understanding of the child’s issues, learn what is important for recovery, and can better encourage the child to resume their activities.

When necessary, with your consent, consultation will take place with a general practitioner, pediatrician, rehabilitation physician, occupational therapist, speech therapist, teacher, or an educational support institution. Treatments are individual.

Specializations:
– Premature (preterm) and dysmature infants

– Infants with a preferential head posture

– Plagiocephalometry. This is a method to determine skull flattening in a baby.

– Young children with developmental delay

– Children with injuries such as knee pain, heel pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, etc.

– Children with headaches

– Children with an atypical posture

– Children with writing difficulties

– Children with problems in sensory processing (Sensory Integration) (e.g., seeking a lot of movement stimuli, sensitivity to sound, smell, clothing)

– Children with Down syndrome

– Children with bladder and bowel problems

– Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) according to the DCD guideline

Medically Unexplained Symptoms:

It can happen that your child experiences a lot of pain, severe fatigue, or constant nausea, which significantly hinders their normal life. Sometimes, however, no clear cause is found in the medical field. Or it may be that something is found, but it does not at all correspond to the severity of symptoms your child has. What else can be done then?

If doctors have ruled out all medical problems, they may indicate that there are Functional complaints or Somatic Unexplained Physical Symptoms (SOLK). This means that the brain reacts too intensely to (pain) signals from the body and transmits this as severe pain, fatigue, or nausea. This is not ‘all in their head’; your child is not faking it, but their brain has actually become overprotective.

The most common functional complaints in children are abdominal pain and headaches, but also fatigue or unexplained pain, dizziness, muscle and joint pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, or chest pressure can occur.

Sometimes a connection can also be made with stress and tension. The relationship between physical symptoms and psychological overload is often not entirely clear.

By creating a plan together with the pediatric physiotherapist (and a psychologist if necessary) and investigating the origin of the brain’s overprotection, the child can gradually rebuild their daily activities. This is a process in which the child sets their own goals and determines which steps are achievable for them. In this way, they work towards resuming the activities they find important.

Our pediatric physiotherapists can guide and direct you and your child as a family on how to achieve this. Sometimes through exercises, but primarily by engaging in extensive discussions with you.