Physiotherapy
A diagnosis, life-changing injury or significant surgery can have a major impact on a child or young person's ability to move, such as rolling, crawling, sitting and walking.
Physiotherapists work to address these issues and improve areas of difficulty.
At Oxford Children's Hospital, Physiotherapists work with children and their families to improve movement and independence, and help them understand why their bodies may now work in a different way.
We use specialist handling and exercises to help the affected parts of the brain, lungs, muscles or joints to learn how to move the body in the best way possible. We teach children and their families how to perform exercises and take more control of managing their condition.
We work closely with doctors, to help them decide what medication might reduce pain or stiffness, and with Occupational Therapists to improve children's ability to perform everyday tasks.
For example:
- We would teach a child with Cystic Fibrosis breathing and airway clearance techniques and carry out exercise sessions.
- We would assess for appropriate walking aids to help a child after they have fractured their leg.
- We would show parents activities and techniques to aid their baby's development.
We offer an out-of-hours and weekend service for acutely unwell children, either in the Paediatric Critical Care Unit or the wards, who require Respiratory Physiotherapy. This is available at a doctor's request via the Switchboard 365 days a year.
There is also a weekend and Bank Holiday Orthopaedic Physiotherapy service. This is for children who have undergone elective surgery mid-week and are identified as needing ongoing input at the weekends as part of their discharge planning and rehabilitation.
All our Physiotherapists are members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HPCP).
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