Skills on the Hill Pediatric Therapy offers pediatric physical therapy services at both our Arlington, VA and Washington, DC locations. Physical Therapists work with children to address challenges that impact participation at school, home, and in the community.
At Skills on the Hill Pediatric Therapy, we treat children birth to age 18 to and ensure the best quality of care for each child. We work with children who are facing challenges meeting their milestones, have experienced an injury, or are experiencing limitations from a medical condition.
Get started with Skills on the Hill Pediatric Therapy today.
Before your child’s first visit, you can click on the below videos to help him/her visualize our office and what to expect!
DC Location:
Physical Therapy Evaluation Appointment
VA Location:
Physical Therapy Evaluation Appointment
What is pediatric physical therapy?
From birth, children are eager to play, move, and learn. Young children learn to explore and interact with their environment through rolling, crawling, walking, running and jumping. Older children and teens participate in recreational activities and sports that require skills such as strength, motor skill, and endurance. In addition, mobility skills allow us to get where we need to go to access school, participate in the community, and eventually perform jobs in a safe, independent, and efficient manner.
Physical therapy is recommended for children and teens who are not meeting their milestones, as well as children who are experiencing physical challenges due to a condition or injury affecting their musculoskeletal system.
Skills on the Hill Pediatric Therapy’s goal is to help your child live his or her best life, participate in family routines and school with ease, and develop skills to prepare them for anything physical they might face in life.
What areas can physical therapy address?
Gross motor skills
Motor skills involving larger muscle groups control walking, running, sitting, crawling, and other skills. A baby begins to learn these skills as he/she transitions from tummy time to sitting to crawling to standing and to eventually walking. Children use gross motor skills when on a playground, climbing jungle gyms, during recess at school, and when playing sports.
Muscle tone
Tone is defined as a muscle’s readiness to activate in a resting state. Muscle tone can impact endurance over time. Although it cannot be changed, one can compensate for a lower tone by increasing overall strength. It is important to note that muscle tone is not the same as muscle strength.
Muscular endurance
The ability to sustain repeated contractions against a resistance for an extended period of time. It is impacted by overall strength and muscle tone and can influence a child’s stamina for activity over time.
Postural control
The ability to sustain a posture or a stable trunk while moving and when stationary. This leads to the ability to automatically balance and be aware of body position in relation to gravity. Postural control is extremely important for the development of both fine and gross motor skills as it allows for the body to have a stable base of support.
Skills on the Hill Pediatric Therapy’s talented team of physical therapists are skilled at creating a fun environment where a child develops skills and learns exercises that they can also do at home. This allows them to increase function, return to previous activities, and prevent future injuries if they are athletes.
If you believe your child would benefit from physical therapy, request an appointment at Skills on the Hill today.
Is your child exhibiting these symptoms?
Several signs/symptoms may suggest that your child may benefit from physical therapy. For example:
- Unable to hold his or her head up past 3 months of age
- Infant exhibits tilting and slight rotation of the head and unable to get into side-lying or turn the head to fully explore the environment
- Unable to roll over by 6 months of age
- Unable to sit or crawl yet at 9 months of age
- Unable to stand unsupported at one year
- Toddler not able to walk independently at 18 months of age
- Elementary age child appears clumsy when running and sometimes falls down
- Child has trouble keeping up with his or her same-aged peers at the playground and has difficulty with throwing, kicking, catching
- Child walks on his toes frequently
- Child experienced an ankle sprain during sports
- Child had surgery to correct hip dysplasia
How can physical therapy help?
When your child is not meeting their developmental milestones, experiences an injury, or receives a diagnosis with long term implications, Skills on the Hill Pediatric Therapy can partner with you to improve his or her function through therapy and home programming, one step at a time.
We are here to help you and your child through therapy, home programming, and communicating with your pediatrician and other specialists to reach their maximum potential. Request an appointment with Skills on the Hill Pediatric Therapy today.
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