Schedule an Occupational Therapy or Physical Therapy evaluation
Does your child struggle with strength, flexibility, balance and coordination to participate in play, school, and family activities?
Our physical therapists will help your child bridge the gap between their abilities and the demands of the environments in which they live, learn and play.
PHYSICAL THERAPY
Build flexibility, strength, balance and coordination in fun and creative ways.
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Pediatric physical therapists are eager to enable your child explore the world. They strive to build strength, and improve flexibility, posture, balance, and coordination in a myriad of creative ways rooted in play, which is the most effective way to get children motivated and engaged! Swings, ball pits, climbing walls and all kinds of toys are incorporated into physical therapy to create the child-centered environment that helps our clients thrive.
Children are not miniature adults, however most kids who need physical therapy are referred to adult facilities which are not designed to meet children's unique needs. POTS equipment and decor is designed especially for infants, toddlers, young kids, tweens and teens and and our talented physical therapists are trained to meet their needs in a child-friendly, play-based, developmentally appropriate environment.
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From birth, children are eager to move, play, and learn. Infants and babies need to reach their developmental milestones such as rising their heads, rolling and walking, to learn, play and move. Young children learn to explore and interact with their environment through running, jumping, playing ball, riding a trike and playing on the playground. Older children and teens participate in after-school activities and sports that require strength, endurance and higher level motor skills. Throughout the lifespan mobility skills allow us to get where we need to go to manage at home, access school, participate in the community, and eventually enter the job market safely and with ease.
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POTS’ goal is to maximize your children's potential so they can live their best life with confidence, participate in daily family routines and school with ease, and develop skills to prepare them for any physical activities they need or want to access.
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Our team of talented physical therapists are skilled at creating a fun exercise environment where children develop skills and learn exercises that they can also do at home. This allows them to increase function, return to previous activities, and prevent future injuries in athletes.
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Who needs Physical Therapy?
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Infants and children who are not meeting their developmental motor milestones
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Children who avoid physical activities in the playground, physical education, sports, and gross motor peer play
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Children experiencing physical challenges due to a medical condition
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Children with injuries affecting the musculoskeletal system
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Aspiring athletes--for injury prevention
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Children who need special equipment for mobility
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Signs your child may benefit from Physical Therapy:
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Infants & toddlers:
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Unable to hold up head past 3 months of age
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Infant’s head slightly tilting or rotating; unable to get into side-lying or fully turn the head
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Unable to roll over by 6 months of age
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Unable to sit or crawl by 9 months of age
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Unable to stand unsupported by 12 months
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Unable to walk independently by 18 months of age
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Low muscle tone
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Following surgery to correct hip dysplasia
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Kids who have:
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Flat feet
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Toes pointing in or out
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Awkward or clumsy walking running; tripping and falling
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Trouble keeping up with peers on the playground
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Difficulty throwing, kicking, catching
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Poor coordination
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Balance challenges
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Hypermobile joints
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Poor endurance or muscular weakness
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Weak postural control
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Frequently walk on toes
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Experience ankle sprains during sports
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Kids who need durable medical equipment
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Teens and young adults who need:
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An exercise and activity program for long-term health tailored to their needs
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A pre-sports conditioning and injury prevention program
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Our Physical Therapists help children with the following conditions or diagnoses:
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Autism
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Cerebral Palsy
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Spina Bifida
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Developmental Delays
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Spinal Muscular Atrophy
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Down Syndrome
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Club Foo
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What are Gross motor skills?
Gross motor skills refer to the ability to use the large muscles of the body to control the limbs and trunk to perform physical activities. Gross motor skills are acquired over time and usually occur in a developmental sequence. For some children, the development of gross motor skills can be delayed, and they require intervention to ensure that they will be able to keep up with same-age peers to play and to participate in school.
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Mastery of gross motor skills starts with meeting developmental milestones in infancy, such as rolling, crawling, walking, running and jumping. Gross motor skills support academics and sports so that kids can easily sit on the floor and on a chair, navigate the stairs, bicycle ride, dribble a ball, run, dance, do gymnastics, and participate in sports safely and confidently. Proper development of gross motor skills requires strength, balance, flexibility, postural control, and coordination. Addressing physical development early is key, as each step in the developmental process is built on a prior step to achieve full function.
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Gross motor skills are very important to a child’s overall development, mental and physical health, learning, and self-esteem. Keeping up with peers on the playground encourages social and emotional development. Participating in gross motor skills facilitates overall health and well-being with lifelong benefits of a healthier heart, lungs, bones, and gastrointestinal system.
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At POTS, our physical and occupational therapists are trained to recognize and treat delayed gross motor development in infants, children, teens, and young adults. If you suspect your child is experiencing delays or difficulty with gross motor skills, has suffered an injury, requires durable medical equipment, or needs to bolster their strength, endurance or flexibility contact us to set up an evaluation.
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Gross Motor Skills Include:
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Holding up the head
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Rolling
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Crawling
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Sitting
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Standing
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Walking
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Jumping
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Skipping
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Bouncing a ball
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Jumping rope
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Riding a bike
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Roller blading
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Balance
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Strength
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Coordination
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All sports
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Martial Arts
Physical Therapy terms
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Gross Motor Skills
Motor skills involve the larger muscle groups of the body that control walking, running, sitting, crawling, and other big movements. A baby begins to learn these skills as he/she transitions from tummy time to sitting to crawling to standing and to eventually to walking. Children use gross motor skills in the playground, climbing jungle gyms, during recess at school, and when playing sports.
Muscle tone
Muscle tone is defined as a muscle’s readiness to activate in a resting state. Muscle tone can impact endurance over time. Although it cannot be changed, one can compensate for a lower tone by increasing overall strength. It is important to note that muscle tone is not the same as muscle strength.
Muscular endurance
The ability to sustain repeated contractions against a resistance for an extended period of time. It is impacted by overall strength and muscle tone and can influence a child’s stamina.
Postural control
Postural control refers to the child's ability to assume and maintain a functional posture to engage in different tasks. when moving (such as running) and when stationary (such as sitting). It is our ability to maintain our posture against gravity while being functional. Postural control is critical for the development of oral motor, fine motor and gross motor skills, as it provides the body with a stable base of support.
NDT
Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT) is a hands-on treatment approach used by physical and occupational therapists to enhance the function of children who have difficulty controlling movement as a result of neurological challenges. During treatment sessions children are exposed to an ever-expanding range of movement experiences to help them meet their developmental motor milestones. Direct handling, positioning and guidance of the child's movements are used to optimize function.
Torticollis
Torticollis is the tilt and/or rotation of the head to one side because of tight and weak neck muscles. It occurs when the muscle that runs up and towards the back of the neck (the sternocleidomastoid muscle) becomes tight, weakened, or thickened. The most common form of this condition affects infants and is generally diagnosed within the first 2 months of life.
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Physical Therapy and athletics?
​For the aspiring child and teen athlete we provide preventative care to make sure they have a program to support the strength, flexibility and endurance that they need to be safe, prevent injury in the short term and the long term, and promote long-term health. For young children we use exercise embedded in child-centered activities to strengthen muscles, improve endurance, boost coordination, and skill.
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