What does a pediatric physiotherapist do?

What is a Pediatric Physiotherapist?

Pediatric physiotherapists help babies, children, and teenagers improve how they move and use their bodies. They work with kids who may have difficulties from birth, an illness, or an injury, making it easier for them to take part in everyday activities. To keep therapy both fun and effective, they often use play-based exercises, games, and activities that match each child’s age, stage of development, and emotional needs. They also support families by teaching them exercises and strategies to continue progress at home, helping children grow stronger, more confident, and more independent over time.

What does a Pediatric Physiotherapist do?

Duties and Responsibilities
Pediatric physiotherapists play an important role in supporting children’s growth, development, and ability to move with confidence. Their responsibilities go beyond exercises — they create fun, personalized approaches to help children thrive physically and emotionally.

• Assessing Movement and Development: Evaluating a child’s strength, flexibility, balance, posture, and motor skills to understand their needs. This helps identify delays, difficulties, or conditions affecting their movement and guides the creation of therapy goals.
• Designing Treatment Plans: Developing personalized therapy programs based on each child’s age, condition, and abilities. These plans may include exercises, stretches, or activities aimed at improving movement, coordination, and independence.
• Using Play-Based Therapy: Incorporating games, toys, music, and fun activities into sessions to keep children motivated and engaged. Play makes therapy enjoyable and helps children practice skills in ways that feel natural and less like medical treatment.
• Supporting Children with Special Needs: Providing care for children with cerebral palsy, developmental delays, genetic disorders, or neuromuscular conditions. Therapy focuses on building independence, improving function, and boosting confidence in daily activities.
• Rehabilitation After Injury or Illness: Assisting children in regaining movement and strength after fractures, surgeries, sports injuries, or illnesses. Physiotherapists guide safe recovery while preventing complications and helping children return to normal activities.
• Teaching Families and Caregivers: Offering clear instructions and demonstrations for exercises that can be done at home. Families are an important part of therapy, and guidance ensures progress continues outside of the clinic.
• Collaborating with Other Professionals: Working closely with doctors, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and teachers to provide a well-rounded support system. Collaboration ensures the child’s medical, educational, and developmental needs are all addressed.
• Tracking Progress: Monitoring improvements over time, adjusting therapy plans as the child grows, and celebrating milestones. Keeping track of progress helps ensure therapy stays effective and motivates children and families along the way.

Different Types of Pediatric Physiotherapists
While all pediatric physiotherapists work with children, some focus on specific areas of practice depending on the child’s age range or medical condition. These are some common distinctions:

• Neurological Pediatric Physiotherapists specialize in conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, such as cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, or genetic and congenital conditions like Down syndrome or spina bifida.
• Musculoskeletal Pediatric Physiotherapists focus on bone, joint, and muscle issues, including fractures, sports injuries, postural problems, and growth-related conditions such as Osgood-Schlatter disease and scoliosis.
• Cardiorespiratory Pediatric Physiotherapists treat children with lung, heart, or breathing difficulties, such as cystic fibrosis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (a chronic lung disease primarily affecting premature infants who have received oxygen therapy or mechanical ventilation for an extended period), asthma, or post-cardiac surgery recovery.
• Neonatal Physiotherapists work with premature or medically fragile newborns in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) to support early motor development and breathing.
• Pediatric Oncology Physiotherapists support mobility, endurance, and strength during and after cancer treatment.

In addition to these general roles, pediatric physiotherapists can also focus on more specialized areas of therapy for children. Here are a few examples:

• Assistive Technology and Mobility Aids – specializing in assessing, prescribing, and training children to use mobility equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, orthotics, and adaptive devices
• Hydrotherapy/Aquatic Physiotherapy – using water-based therapy to improve movement, strength, and coordination in children with various conditions
• Sensory-Motor Integration – working with children who have sensory processing difficulties alongside motor challenges
• Pediatric Pain Management – developing specialized strategies for chronic pain, hypermobility syndromes, or post-surgical pain in children
• Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) / Dyspraxia – helping children with motor planning difficulties improve coordination and participation in daily activities

What is the workplace of a Pediatric Physiotherapist like?

Pediatric physiotherapists can work in a variety of healthcare, educational, and community settings. These are among their most common employers:

• Hospitals – particularly in pediatric, neonatal, orthopedic, neurological, or rehabilitation units
• Children’s Hospitals – specialized facilities dedicated entirely to pediatric care
• Rehabilitation Centers – inpatient or outpatient centers focused on recovery after injury, surgery, or illness
• Community Health Centers – providing therapy for children in local clinics or through outreach services
• Schools and Educational Institutions – supporting students with physical disabilities or developmental challenges
• Early Intervention Programs – working with infants and toddlers with developmental delays
• Private Physiotherapy Clinics – offering outpatient pediatric services
• Sports Organizations or Academies – focusing on injury prevention and rehabilitation for young athletes
• Home Health Agencies – delivering physiotherapy to children in their own homes
• Non-profit and Charitable Organizations – supporting children with disabilities in underserved communities
• Research Institutions or Universities – conducting studies on pediatric rehabilitation and motor development

The workplace of a pediatric physiotherapist is designed to feel safe, welcoming, and fun for kids, while still being practical for therapy. The goal is to create spaces where children feel encouraged to join in and enjoy the activities.

In hospitals or rehab centers, physiotherapists often work in bright, open rooms filled with mats, therapy balls, balance beams, climbing structures, and kid-sized equipment. In schools or community centers, therapy might happen in gyms, classrooms, or shared spaces, using toys, games, and sports gear to make exercises feel like play. In neonatal or intensive care units, the setting is quieter and more carefully controlled, with incubators, special cushions, and gentle tools designed for babies who need delicate care.

Pediatric physiotherapists may also move between different places—like gyms, swimming pools for hydrotherapy, or even a child’s home. No matter the location, they make sure the space is safe, accessible, and motivating for children at different stages of growth and development.