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How Pediatric Physiotherapy Can Help Your Child - 10 Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore
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Melina Forster
PT Student
Dana Snelling
Registered Physiotherapist | HBKin, MScPT
Sahdeep Samra
Registered Physiotherapist Resident
Watching your child grow, learn new skills, and become more independent is exciting. Every child develops at their own pace, and it’s completely normal for parents to have questions along the way.
Maybe your child seems to trip more often than other children, complains of pain after sports, or isn’t quite keeping up with their peers during physical activities. While many of these concerns can be a normal part of development, some may be worth having assessed.
Pediatric physiotherapy focuses on helping infants, children, and teens improve how they move. Whether a child is experiencing pain, having difficulty with strength, balance, coordination, or motor skills, or struggling to return to activity after an injury, physiotherapy can help them build confidence and participate more comfortably in everyday activities.
Services for Kids and Teens at GRSM
At Grand River Sports Medicine, our clinicians regularly see children in the Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo region for a variety of orthopedic concerns. Sahdeep Samra, PT resident, has a keen interest in providing physiotherapy to children to help them achieve their mobility potential. He will tailor treatment plans to the needs of the child and make it fun!
Dana Snelling, PT works with infants with limitations in neck mobility, often termed Congenital Muscular Torticollis, which affects 0.3-1.9% of all newborns. She works with the caregiver to provide a sustainable plan throughout the stages of infant development into toddlerhood.
GRSM also offers Paediatric Sports Medicine with Dr. Purcell. Her area of expertise is sports injuries, concussions and common orthopedic conditions related to overuse or growing, like Osgoode-Schlatter’s disease and Sever’s disease. Dr. Purcell is available via doctor referral.
Several of our physiotherapists also have a passion for sport-specific rehabilitation. In Cambridge, Celeste enjoys working with dancers and gymnasts, Nick has a particular interest in treating baseball and basketball athletes, and Mackenzie enjoys helping youth athletes safely return to sport. In Kitchener, Jason has a special interest in treating rock climbers, while Brian enjoys supporting young athletes through the stages of return-to-sport.
Call our Kitchener or Cambridge clinic to book in with a child’s physiotherapist. We’ll make sure your child is comfortable during their session, and that a plan is made to help them return to full mobility.
What Happens During a Pediatric Physiotherapy Assessment?
Many parents worry that an assessment will be intimidating or overwhelming for their child. In reality, pediatric physiotherapy assessments are often play or activity based and focus on understanding your child’s overall movement and functional abilities.
During the assessment, your Physiotherapist may:
- Ask about your child’s medical history, your concerns, and the goals you have for your child
- Observe how your child moves during everyday activities and play
- Assess gross motor skills, balance, coordination, strength, and flexibility
- Look at your child’s walking and running patterns
- Consider how movement challenges may be affecting participation in school, sports, play, and everyday activities
- Discuss their findings and provide education
- Develop a personalized treatment plan if needed
Parents are an important part of the assessment process. Your Physiotherapist will work with you to understand what activities are meaningful to your child and what areas you hope to improve their movement skills.
Ultimately, the goal is to help your child feel more confident moving and participating in the activities that are important to them.
10 Signs your Child Should See a Pediatrics Physiotherapist
1. Your Child Is Falling More Than Expected
It’s completely normal for young children to trip and fall as they learn new movement skills. However, if your child seems to be falling much more often than other children their age, struggles with balance, or avoids activities because they’re worried about falling, it may be worth having them assessed.
Frequent falls can sometimes be related to balance, coordination, strength, or the way a child moves. A physiotherapist can identify any areas that may need support and create a plan to help improve confidence and movement.
2. Your Child Walks on Their Toes Most of the Time
Many toddlers go through a stage of walking on their toes while learning to walk. In many cases, this is completely normal.
However, if toe walking continues beyond the toddler years or happens most of the time, it may be worth discussing with a healthcare professional. Persistent toe walking can sometimes be associated with muscle tightness, reduced ankle mobility, or other movement concerns.
A pediatric physiotherapist can assess your child’s walking pattern and determine whether treatment or monitoring is appropriate.
3. Your Child Complains of Pain During Play or Sports
Children are naturally active, and occasional bumps and bruises are part of growing up. Ongoing pain, however, shouldn’t be ignored.
If your child regularly complains of pain in their knees, heels, ankles, hips, or back during or after physical activity, there may be factors contributing to their discomfort that are worth looking into.
An assessment can help identify factors contributing to their pain and determine how to support their return to sports, play, and everyday activities.
4. Your Child Is Having Difficulty With Age-Appropriate Movement Skills
Every child develops at their own pace, and there is a wide range of what’s considered typical.
However, if your child is having difficulty learning or performing movement skills expected for their age, it may be helpful to have their movement assessed. This could include skills like rolling, sitting, crawling, walking, jumping, hopping, climbing stairs, riding a bike, or navigating playground activities.
A physiotherapist with experience working with children can assess theirs gross motor skills and determine whether additional support would be helpful.
5. Your Child Tires More Quickly Than Other Children
Does your child tire quickly during physical activity? Do they need frequent breaks or struggle to keep up with classmates during gym class or play? Fatiguing more quickly than peers isn’t always related to fitness. Strength, endurance, coordination, or movement efficiency may also play a role.
Pediatric physiotherapy can help identify factors that may be affecting your child’s participation and develop strategies to improve their movement and confidence.
Do you think your child may need a pediatric physiotherapist? Call one of our clinics, we can answer your questions and book you in with one of our pediatric practitioners.
6. Your Child Struggles With Balance or Coordination
Balance and coordination are important for everyday activities such as climbing stairs, riding a bike, hopping, catching a ball, or playing sports.
If these activities seem especially challenging for your child, an assessment can help determine whether additional support is needed.
Improving balance and coordination can help children feel more confident participating in everyday activities, sports, and play.
7. Your Child Is Having Difficulty Returning to Activities After an Injury
Whether it’s an ankle sprain, broken bone, sports injury, or surgery, getting back to regular activities can sometimes be challenging.
Your child may continue to experience weakness, reduced confidence, difficulty with certain movements, or hesitation when returning to sports and play.
Pediatric physiotherapy can help your child safely rebuild strength, confidence, and movement skills while supporting their return to school, sports, and the activities they enjoy.
8. Your Child Has an Unusual Walking or Running Pattern
Parents are often the first to notice differences in the way their child moves.
Maybe one foot turns in more than the other, your child limps after activity, or their walking or running pattern seems noticeably different from their peers.
While some movement patterns are part of normal development, others may benefit from an assessment with a physiotherapist with experience working with children to better understand how your child moves.
9. Your Child Avoids Sports, Play, or Physical Activities
If your child regularly avoids running, climbing, jumping, playground activities, or participating in sports, movement may feel difficult or uncomfortable for them.
In some cases, children may avoid activities because of pain. In others, confidence, balance, coordination, or difficulty with certain movement skills may be contributing.
A physiotherapy assessment can help identify barriers that may be affecting your child’s ability to participate in activities that are meaningful to them.
10. You Simply Feel Something Isn’t Quite Right
Parents know their children better than anyone else.
If you have concerns about the way your child moves, develops, or participates in activities, it’s always okay to ask questions. Parent concerns and goals are an important part of the pediatric physiotherapy process.
An assessment doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. Sometimes it simply provides reassurance. Other times, it can identify areas where additional support may help your child move and participate with greater confidence.
Pediatric Physiotherapy FAQs
At what age can a child see a Physiotherapist?
Children can benefit from physiotherapy at any age, from infancy through adolescence. Physiotherapists assess and treat a wide range of movement concerns, whether they’re related to development, injury, pain, or participation in sports and everyday activities.
Does my child need a referral to see a Physiotherapist?
In most cases, a referral isn’t required to book an appointment with a Physiotherapist. However, some extended health insurance plans may require one for reimbursement. It’s always a good idea to check with your insurance provider before your appointment.
Will my child have to do exercises?
Every treatment plan is different, but pediatric physiotherapy often looks more like play than traditional exercise. Activities are chosen based on your child’s age, abilities, and goals to keep therapy engaging while working on movement, strength, balance, or coordination.
How many physiotherapy sessions will my child need?
The number of visits depends on your child’s needs, goals, and progress. Some children may only need a few sessions and activities to work on at home, while others may benefit from ongoing treatment. Your Physiotherapist will discuss a plan that’s tailored to your child.
Is it better to start physiotherapy early?
In many cases, if you’ve identified concerns with movement or mobility that are impacting your child on a daily basis then assessment is a good idea.Even if your child doesn’t require treatment, an assessment can provide reassurance and guidance for parents.
Trust Your Instincts as a Parent
Every child develops at their own pace, and many movement differences are simply part of growing up. However, persistent pain, frequent falls, difficulty keeping up with peers, or concerns about how your child moves shouldn’t be ignored.
A paediatric physiotherapy assessment can provide reassurance when everything is developing as expected or identify areas where early support may help your child move more comfortably and confidently. Early intervention can often make returning to sports, play, and everyday activities easier while helping children build lifelong confidence in movement.
If you’re wondering whether physiotherapy is the right next step, our team at Grand River Sports Medicine is here to help. We’ll take the time to understand your concerns, assess your child’s movement, and develop an individualized plan that supports their goals—whether that’s playing on the playground, participating in sports, or simply moving with confidence.
Book a pediatric physiotherapy assessment today with Sahdeep or Dana in Cambridge and help your child enjoy all the benefits of healthy, confident movement.
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