Paediatric Physiotherapy

Children are not small adults, and paediatric physiotherapy is not scaled-down adult treatment. A child's nervous system is still developing, which makes early intervention unusually effective — and makes sessions look far more like play than like therapy.

When to seek an assessment

• Motor milestones are late — not sitting by nine months, not walking by eighteen
• A consistent preference for one side, or a head tilt that does not settle
• Toe walking that persists past age three
• A diagnosis of cerebral palsy, Down syndrome or another condition affecting movement
• Orthopaedic conditions such as club foot or hip dysplasia
• Difficulty keeping up physically with peers

How sessions work

Treatment is built around goals that mean something to the family — sitting unsupported, crawling, walking to the bathroom alone, managing stairs at school. The exercises are then embedded into play so the child repeats them willingly.

The parent is part of every session. What happens in the twenty-three hours between appointments determines progress far more than the hour with us, so parents leave knowing exactly what to practise and how to spot when it is going well.

Timelines

This varies enormously. Torticollis in an infant often resolves in weeks. Cerebral palsy is a long-term programme measured in years, with goals reset as the child grows. We agree the goals at the outset and review them openly.