Paediatric Physical Disabilities

Approximately 6% of all children in Ireland live with a disability, 62% of which are boys. There are various conditions related to children that result in physical impairments. Cerebral palsy, Spina Bifida, developmental delay, and Torticollis are among some of the conditions where Physiotherapy plays a key role in their successful management. Our Paediatric Physical Disability programme offers assessment, treatment, advice and education to parents and other carers on how best to help children with Physical Disabilities. Paediatric Physiotherapy promotes a child’s independence.

Symptoms Of Paediatric Physical Disabilities

Torticollis (Wry Neck)

- This is where a child’s neck is twisted so that their head is tilted one way and they strain to look in the opposite direction.

Spina Bifida

- Children with Spina Bifida usually have lower muscle strength because the nerves that supply the muscles in their body are damaged.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy is a motor condition that causes difficulty in controlling movement, posture and balance.

Developmental Delay

This is where a child does not reach their developmental milestones at expected times. Delay can occur in one or many areas such as: gross or fine motor movement, language, social, or thinking skills.

Treatment of Paediatric Physical Disabilities

For Torticollis our Chartered Physiotherapists can show parents or careers correct positioning and teach them exercises and activities for children to perform daily that will help them to gain movement they are lacking and minimise the effects of the condition.

For Spina Bifida and Cerebral Palsy our highly skilled Physiotherapists can help to improve your child’s muscle function and strength as well as helping to develop normal movement patterns to improve mobility.

Cranio Sacral Therapy may also be used to relieve tightness in your child’s muscles. For all of the disabilities mentioned in the symptoms section, a home exercise program will normally be provided to ensure ongoing intervention by the parents at home and to optimise the child’s overall development.

Our Expertise

Our Paediatric physiotherapists have training and experience which make them specialists in children’s conditions and their management. They deliver assessment, treatment, advice and education to parents and other carers, thereby enabling them better to understand the needs of the child and participate in therapy.

Our fully insured Physiotherapists will use a variety of evidence based therapies and treatments to tackle the problems your child faces.

Our client focused Paediatric Physiotherapists will endeavour to liaise with other agencies and colleagues from other disciplines aiming to provide coordinated services to the family, supporting you throughout your child’s treatment.