Paediatric Physiotherapy

Paediatric Physiotherapy is the assessment and treatment of children age 0-18. Rosanna specializes predominantly in musculoskeletal (muscle) and orthopaedic (bone) conditions with overlap into neurological conditions also.

A lot of the common complaints occur during the teenage years when there is rapid change in skeletal development and maturity. Rosannna does also treat the very young as some conditions such as torticollis, plageocephaly and positional talipes occur in babies only a few weeks old. If your baby has been diagnosed with DDH (Development Dysplasia of the Hip) she/he will need to be treated at your local NHS hospital as they will require specific physiotherapy and consultant appointments.

Conditions treated include:

Under 5’s

• Torticollis (when the baby’s head seems to be tilted to one side)
• Plageocephaly (flattening of one side of a baby’s head)
• Positional Talipes (baby’s feet pointing in or down)
• Calcaneovalgus (baby’s feet pointing down or out)
• Delayed development milestone e.g. rolling, sitting and walking
• Concerns about walking including on tip toes, on one tip toe, excessively bowed legs, limping

Over 5’s

• Hypermobility (excessively flexible, may complain of pain)
• Concerns about walking pattern e.g. turning feet in, turning feet out, knocked knees, bow legged, tip-toe walking etc
• CRPS (Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome)- this often occurs after a minor injury and leads to colour changes, pain, disuse, stiffness and weakness.
• Scoliosis or kyphosis (curve in spine)
• Post operative orthopaedic physiotherapy e.g. after knee or ankle surgery
• Growth related pain in feet and legs (Osgood Schlatters and Sever’s)
• Anterior knee pain (pain at front of knee, common in teenagers)
• Shoulder, neck or back pain
• Sports injuries
• Tightness in leg muscles
• Recurrent ankle sprains

The above list is not exhaustive so please do contact Rosanna if your child’s complaint is not listed or you have any other questions.

Treatment will typically involve setting specific home exercises along with providing relevant advice and education. Other interventions may be used alongside exercises and education, such as facilitating movement at a joint, stretching the muscles, postural re-education and taping. Pilates based exercises are popular and effective in young people. The frequency and number of follow up sessions will be arranged to suit your child’s needs.