Does my infant need a pediatric physical therapist

parents always care about every detail their kids pass through especially during their infancy, and worry about every single movement  of thier infant and does he grow enough or follow the expected developmental timeline of his own age, so the parents watch carefully for every sign hoping that their infants are  growing well.

mothers' journey is full of worries and carefullness when dealing with her baby, especially through his first year,and the mother always has questions in her mind, does my basby grow well, is there is something wrong with him? does he can't move well? does his movement is  more retarded than his fellows in the same age?

So here comes the role of knowledge and knowing what is normal and what is not? to help you deciding when to  seek professional help if needed.

Who is pediatric physical therapist?
 

If you as a parent need to know anything about your baby's movement, then you will find the answers by speaking to the first expert of movement  of babies the  pediatric physical therapist.

some people may think that Physical Therapy is for adults only, but the truth s threre is awhole specialization for pediatric physical therapy to help babies and childern generally with their movements if they show problem while moving or handling their daily tasks.

As pediatric physical therapist  examine the chilld however his age and evaluate his movement if he had an accident or suffering from adisability since birth,then he personalize aphysical therapy pan for the examined child, as to achive his best potientials in movement, here comes  the question what does the pediatric physical therapist do? and what is the relation between pediatric physical therapist and infants?

What does pediatric physical therapist do?

Pediatric physical therapist examine the infant if his pediatric physician recommended so, or if one of his parents has his own worries about his baby's movement, so the pediatric physical therapist would define if  the infant posture and movement is normal or not, also the role of pediatric physicla therapist appears strongly in treating infants who have been diagnosed with disability due to a problem through their delivery or due to a genetic disorder.

The pediatrc physical therapist evaluate and treat any disability or malfunction in the muscles that affects baby's movement, so we can sum up soma points  that pediatric physical therapist treat children who suffer from:

1.cerebral palsy.

2. Autism.

3.Brain injuries after accidents.

4.neuromuscular disorders.

Does my baby need a pediatric physical therapy?

So now you may be wondering whether your baby need to visit a pediatric  physical therapist or not.

we will mention here some points would help you in deciding this.

your baby need to visit a pediatric physical therapist if:

1. your baby h asn't achieved the developmental milestones through his first year,

2. your baby  is favoring sleeping on one side for months rather than the other side.

3.the baby has poor posture after being six months old.

4.he has higher musce flexibility tha babies in his age.

5. if his feet don't stand his weight when he is six months old.

6.the baby hasn't crawl nor stand on his own by 12 months.

7.the baby has balance disorder while sitting

we need to highlight that there is always individual  differences between babies , so we recommend seeking profeesional help if your baby suffer from one of the previous points for long time specially by age 12 months, or couldn't walk even after being 18 months old.

finally if you still confused you can reach us back  and ask more specified questions.

 

dalia mahmoud