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Physiotherapy

Help maximise physical and gross motor developing including rolling, sitting, crawling and walking for children with orthopaedic, neurological or genetic conditions.

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Improve your child’s movement and participation in everyday activities, enhance their development and give them a good quality of life.

Physiotherapy for children, or Paediatric physiotherapy, is a specialised area of physiotherapy that addresses the different needs of babies, children and adolescents as they develop their movement skills. This involves therapies such as exercise, movement training, stretches, strengthening, motor learning and play.

Successful movement is essential for learning and growing and is as important to cognitive development as it is to physical.

Our physiotherapists have a Masters in Paediatric Physiotherapy, or many years of clinical experience or further study in the area.

Our team provide assessments and identify difficulties and diagnosis to tailor a therapy program for each child. It’s a very hands-on process, and we like to keep it fun and playful for your child.

To learn more about our physiotherapy services or to book an appointment contact your nearest Early Start Australia clinic.

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1300 372 439
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Our physiotherapists can help with the following:

  • Developing mobility skills, e.g. rolling, sitting, crawling and walking
  • Participating in activities like bike riding and swimming
  • Prescribing and using specialised equipment, e.g. seating, standing frames, walkers
  • Orthopaedic conditions, e.g. plagiocephaly, lower limb, patella-femoral mal-alignment, scoliosis or joint pain
  • Developmental delays
  • Coordination or balance
  • Neurological conditions, e.g. cerebral palsy, spina bifida, stroke and traumatic brain injury
  • Genetic conditions, e.g. Down syndrome and achondroplasia
  • Low muscle tone
Enquire now
1300 372 439

What does physiotherapy involve?

Physiotherapy treatment for your child begins with an assessment where we look at their motor skills and overall development.

We identify your child’s ability strengths and weaknesses and then design a therapy plan that addresses their individual needs to ensure the best possible development of their physical and cognitive skills.

Enquire now
1300 372 439
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Physiotherapy Programs

As part of your therapy journey your Physiotherapist may recommend some therapy programs to assist in achieving your goals including:

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Core Strengthening / Gym Programs
Core stability exercises are designed to improve the strength and efficiency of abdominal, spinal, pelvic floor and hip muscles. Improved core strength has positive outcomes for coordination, control, flexibility, strength, posture, pain and balance.
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Hip Helpers
Hip helpers can be an effective tool to use in therapy, particularly in children with low tone. 
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Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy can be used to treat musculoskeletal, neurological and respiratory conditions.
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Kinesio-taping
Kinesio-taping has many uses in paediatric physiotherapy. Our therapists are experienced in taping a variety of neurological and orthopaedic conditions to improve outcomes of individuals in a number of areas.
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Serial Casting
Serial casting is an evidence-based intervention for regaining range of movement in the lower limbs.
Learn more

Find a clinic near you

We have clinics in every state and territory providing assessments, early childhood intervention therapies, and support to help you thrive.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Physiotherapy services

AN ESA Paediatric Physiotherapist can help your child with movement, mobility and biomechanical development. Early intervention therapies can also help a child with neurological or developmental delays, as well as hearing and vision impairments.

 To address movement and motor development difficulties, physiotherapy can help your child:

  • improve muscle tone/strength/endurance
  • increase coordination and balance
  • develop core/trunk stability
  • improve body/joint mechanics or alignment
  • enhance communication abilities
  • Premature babies or low birth weight babies (<1500g)
  • Newborn babies with difficulty turning their heads
  • Newborn babies not tolerating tummy time
  • Babies having flat spots on the back or side of their heads, especially after seven weeks old
  • Babies who have difficulty with rolling, sitting, crawling and walking
  • Toddlers with pigeon toes, bow legs, in-rolling ankles, knock knees.
  • Children who have difficulties with coordination, balance, walking and running
  • Frequent falls, poor balance and coordination
  • Children with poor posture or children who complain of frequent muscular

Paediatric Physiotherapists are qualified health professionals who specialise in assessing, diagnosing, and treating a child’s movement skills, gross motor development, and neurological development. They can identify any issues and offer early-intervention therapy strategies. This often involves fun, developmentally appropriate, family-centred, and play-based techniques to help improve their movement and reach developmental milestones.

If you are a parent, no one knows your child as well as you do. If you have any concerns about their physical, behavioural or neurological development, you can seek the advice of a physiotherapist. Or maybe your GP, community nurse, child carer or teacher have concerns. Physiotherapy for your child can help treat issues with:

  • balance, posture, coordination and gross motor skills
  • joint, muscle or nervous system problems causing weakness, pain or movement difficulties
  • weight and physical activity advice
  • growth or sports injuries to the bones, joints, muscles and ligaments
  • recovery after surgery or illness to improve strength, movement, function and independence

It’s important to remember you don’t need a doctor’s referral to see a physiotherapist. Medicare does not cover physiotherapy, but some costs are often covered by ancillary private health insurance.

Your child may need the assistance of both a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist.

At ESA, they often work together as they each have specific areas of expertise. Occupational therapists focus on fine motor skills, which are the movements of the body’s small muscles, to improve the quality of children’s participation in their daily functional tasks. A physiotherapist focuses more on gross motor skills, which are movements using the body’s large muscles to help children with mobility difficulties, whether they are behind on their gross motor milestones, recovering from injury/surgery, or not keeping up with other children.

The ESA difference

esa difference

Our dedicated teams of Occupational Therapists, Psychologists, Speech Pathologists and Physiotherapists work with our clients to help them meet their growth and development goals.

We focus on supporting clients (and their families) to develop language, motor, cognitive, social and emotional skills, and provide therapy supports for children with developmental delay or disability, including autism spectrum disorder.

Enquire now
1300 372 439

Why choose Early Start Australia

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Multi-disciplinary team

Our multi-disciplinary teams work together with you to understand your needs and develop a plan using evidence-based strategies to help you achieve your goals and aspirations.

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Australian wide network of centres

We have clinics in every state and territory creating a strong community of allied health professionals with the collective knowledge and expertise to deliver you the best outcomes.

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Registered NDIS provider

We are a registered NDIS provider and are here to help you on your NDIS journey.

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Early intervention for all ages

Early intervention is not just for the kids. We offer therapies to cater for all ages, needs and abilities,
and we know the sooner you start your therapy journey the better.

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