PHYSICAL
THERAPY
PEDIATRIC ORTHOPEDIC PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR CHILDREN IN CENTRAL TEXAS
Our Pediatric Orthopedic Physical Therapy program is designed to help your child aChieve their full potential and return to daily activities and sports quickly and safely. We hope to inspire our patients to pursue a healthy life, with emphasis on correcting mechanics and preventing future injury.
We teach young athletes the importance of taking an active role in their recovery and developing long term habits of caring for their body. We try to minimize office visits and passive modalities while emphasizing home exercise programs that can be easily worked into your daily schedule. Our focus is providing highly skilled treatment and innovative solutions in an uplifting environment.
COMMON CONDITIONS WE TREAT:
say hello to our
Physical Therapists
Pain and injuries are part of most athletes' lives. The dedicated sports medicine specialists at CTPO are here to make sure those injuries interfere as little as possible with our young athletes.
Whether your child is having pain while competing, has sustained an overuse injury, or has suffered a ligament tear or cartilage injury, our sports medicine team is here to get your child back in the game.
ABOUT THE PEDIATRIC ORTHOPEDIC PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAM AT CTPO
CTPO proudly offers physical therapy services for a variety of pediatric orthopedic conditions from simple sports injuries to complex post-surgical rehabilitation. We have a team of experienced and specialized therapists who work exclusively with infants, kids, tweens, and teens and know the particulars of these challenging populations. Our goal is to maximize time spent in the clinic by educating the patient and family on how to get better while minimizing unnecessary and costly treatment options. We understand that being young is sometimes difficult (and understand that being a parent with an injured child is stressful). We strive to support the young patient by providing a warm, friendly and fun environment.
WHAT IS PEDIATRIC SPORTS MEDICINE?
Pediatric sports medicine is the treatment of young athletes from early childhood through adolescence into young adulthood. Kids are not just little adults. Children are constantly growing and their bones grow much faster than their muscles and tendons, especially during growth spurts. This can lead to injuries called traction apophysitis (such as Osgood Schlatter, Severs, etc).
Children also have growth plates which are areas of cartilage at the ends of bones that can be injured in sporting activities. Surgery can also be challenging in the pediatric athlete because of the presence of growth plates. The pediatric sports medicine specialists at CTPO have been trained to perform surgeries that do not injure the growth plate. Some growth plates do not fully close until 18-20 years old.
WHY CHOOSE CTPO FOR PEDIATRIC ORTHOPEDIC PHYSICAL THERAPY?
CTPO offers physical therapy services by a team of expert clinicians who collectively have decades of experience in dealing with pediatric orthopedic conditions. This contrasts with more generalized physical therapy providers who may see adults, geriatric patients and the occasional child all in one day. We know kids! And we only work with kids, so we have a greater insight into the needs and goals of this population. All our clinicians have additional training and specialization credentials to treat both common and unusual conditions.
common physical therapy questions
WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT THE FIRST APPOINTMENT?
The therapist will discuss your problem and your goals in detail, perform a physical examination of the relevant body part(s), and educate you on the best treatment options. These visits usually last about 45 minutes. We recommend loose-fitting, comfortable clothing for your visit. The therapist will issue you a home exercise program (HEP) and give you specific activity instructions.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE FIRST APPOINTMENT?
For most conditions, there will be a follow up one week after the initial evaluation. The therapist will discuss how things are going and how you are feeling. You will be guided through specific movements that may assist flexibility, strength or mobility deficits. Your home exercise program and activity instructions may be progressed.
HOW MANY VISITS WILL I NEED FOR TREATMENT?
The number will vary depending on the complexity and severity of the case. For most simple conditions, our goal is to achieve your rehab goals with 4-6 weeks of treatment.
HOW DO I ACHIEVE MY REHAB/PT GOALS QUICKLY?
There is not one cookie cutter recipe for all conditions and patients. Most patients who achieve success are engaged in the rehab and complete their home exercise program as prescribed.
WILL PHYSICAL THERAPY BE PAINFUL?
There is usually some degree of discomfort with physical therapy, especially after surgery or painful fractures. Remember that your child is in control and we maintain a high level of communication to ensure their safety.
We will do everything we can to make your child as comfortable as possible while helping them achieve their goals. We also discuss appropriate pain control strategies to make the recovery process as easy as possible.
JAXSON BEING AWESOME
IN HIS WORDS
WHAT JAXSON THINKS
"When I tore my ACL I was scared that I wouldn't be able to play baseball again. Dr. Ellington made me really comfortable. He explained surgery in a way that I could understand.
Kevin has helped me a lot. He pushes me to work hard and not be lazy during therapy. He makes workouts fun--that is why I am doing so well with my recovery."
- JAXSON E. (Austin, TX)
Why Pediatric Orthopedic Physical Therapy?
When it comes to overcoming an orthopedic challenge or recovering from an injury, children require specialized care. Pediatric orthopedic physical therapy can decrease doctor visits and more importantly, lower the risk of re-injury and future orthopedic problems.
After receiving a comprehensive evaluation by one of our experienced pediatric orthopedic physical therapists, our team will design a custom, robust physical therapy program for your child to be completed both in the office and daily at home. Our doctors of physical therapy are passionate about helping your child work through their orthopedic condition from start to finish.
If your child is unable to play or participate in their normal daily activities because of muscle pain, joint pain or surgery, our expert team of physical therapists are here to help.
HELPING YOUNG ATHLETES
IN OUR COMMUNITY
In addition to treating patients in the clinic, our pediatric physical therapists participate in community education activities to teach the developing athlete injury-prevention techniques and promote health and fitness. By educating athletes, parents, coaches, and trainers on common injuries and ways to prevent injury occurrence, the athlete spends more time being active and participating in their sport.
If your sports team or parent organization is interested in having one of our PT's come and speak about youth fitness or injury prevention, contact us and we would be happy to work with you.
We also take a special interest in the treatment of adolescent back pain using the McKenzie Method of Diagnosis and Treatment. Like the general sports programs, the McKenzie Method emphasizes self-treatment of back pain and prevention of future problems. It is recognized worldwide as one of the most effective treatments for back pain.
We have had overwhelming success applying this method of diagnosis and treatment to young people and at the last count, the average number of office visits for back pain was about four per patient.
acl INJURY prevention
Adolescent female athletes are documented to have anywhere from a 4 to 6 times greater risk of injury to the anterior cruciate ligament than male counterparts. Fortunately, research over the past 5-10 years has confirmed that specific evaluation and training programs can help to reduce the rate of injury to equal that of male counterparts.
ACL INJURY PREVENTION PROGRAM
In order to continue to serve our community, CTPO now offers custom ACL Injury Prevention Programs for athletic departments in Central Texas. If you are interested in bringing the ACL Injury Prevention Program to your school, please contact us here:
