Treatment

Physical Therapy

Pediatric physical therapy helps kids and teens who have developmental or congenital conditions or who are recovering from trauma.

At Children's Wisconsin, our team of physical therapists work with kids and teens who have developmental or congenital conditions or who are recovering from trauma. The goal of physical therapy, also called PT, is to gain or restore strength, improve balance and coordination, increase range of motion and promote independent functioning.

Why See a Pediatric Physical Therapist?

At Children’s Wisconsin, our physical therapists collaborate closely with medical teams to provide individual treatment plans for children.

Treatment plans are developed based on the goals of the child, parents and medical team and may include:

Exercises to help with movement, balance, flexibility, and strength
Checking when kids can safely return to sports and ways to prevent injuries
Treatments like massage, joint and spine therapy, dry needling and nerve care
Managing pain with education, tools like ultrasound and electrical stimulation, taping techniques and advice on sleep, nutrition, posture, activity and overall wellness
Hands-on techniques to help muscles work and improve movement patterns
Play-based therapy to support a child’s everyday activities
Help with choosing and using medical equipment like wheelchairs, braces and orthotics

We also specialize in areas such as:

Concussion and brain injuries to allow kids to return to pre-injury activities
Creating casts to protect and position a child’s arms or legs
Studying how kids move to create a plan of care
Neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) techniques to assist kids with neurological conditions
Torticollis therapy for babies to strengthen their necks

Our physical therapists work closely with teams in: