When Does Your Child Need Physical Therapy?
Written By: Amy Wolcott M.S., CCC-SLP
Strength, motion, coordination—kids need these skills all day, every day. From a baby just learning to crawl to the elementary school playground, we often take motor skills for granted. But when they’re not working correctly kids can miss out on activities or be less safe in their environment.
At TPP, we have an amazing team of physical therapists and physical therapist assistants ready to help your child reach their gross motor goals. But when might a kid actually need physical therapy, and when should you just wait and see?
“I would recommend scheduling an evaluation sooner rather than later when parents have a concern with physical/gross motor development because development is like a house of cards,” explained TPP co-owner and physical therapist Jessi Frencken. “Each skill builds on the one before it. So when a child is struggling with one skill it will indirectly limit their ability to fully gain the next skill. This causes a chain reaction in delay over time. So a relatively small delay that is ignored or allowed to wait can turn into a much bigger issue over time that takes much longer to correct.”
Here are some reasons your child might need a physical therapy evaluation!
Missed Milestones
Each kid develops at their own pace. However, there are developmental milestones—average ages at which certain skills are achieved—that can help ensure your child’s development is on pace with their peers. For instance, most kids can sit up by 9 months, stand by 12 months, walk by 18 months, and run by 2 years. Learn more about developmental milestones here.
Posture or Positioning Concerns
If you are concerned about your child’s posture or the way they position parts of their body, you may benefit from a physical therapy evaluation. Infants who seem to twist or tilt their head only to one side, for example, may have a condition called torticollis. Without timely intervention, this can lead to additional concerns like plagiocephaly, or flat spots on the head.
Abnormal Gait
Atypical gait patterns, like frequent toe walking, is a sign that your child may need physical therapy.
Balance and Coordination Issues
If your child falls or trips often, seems clumsy compared to peers, or has trouble keeping up with other kids, a physical therapist may be able to help!
Injury and Underlying Conditions
Kids recovering from a serious injury, or those with underlying medical conditions like muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy, often require physical therapy to help them reach their motor skills potential!
If you have concerns about your child’s motor development or abilities, speak to your primary care physician about a physical therapy referral today! We have immediate openings for physical therapy at our Clinton location! Call us at (660)219-9176 (Clinton) or (660)219-9381 (Knob Noster) for more information.
