Paediatric Physiotherapy in Leicester

Paediatric physiotherapy is the assessment and treatment of movement, posture and musculoskeletal problems in children, from newborns through to adolescence. Children are not small adults. Their joints, muscles and bones are growing, their movement patterns are still forming, and the same symptom can mean something entirely different at six months, six years and sixteen years. A child who is late to sit, a baby who consistently turns their head one way, a toddler who walks on their toes, or a teenager with knee pain that flares during a growth spurt all need assessment through a developmental lens rather than an adult one.

Our paediatric physiotherapy service at The Health Suite Leicester is musculoskeletal and developmental in focus. Assessment covers muscle length and strength, joint range and stability, posture, gait, balance and coordination, and how your child moves through the milestones expected for their age. Treatment is hands-on where appropriate and always paired with a home programme, because progress in children is driven by what happens between appointments. Parents and carers are treated as part of the treatment team: you will leave each session knowing what to do, how often, and what change to expect.

Our paediatric physiotherapy service covers:

• Developmental and gross motor delay: Assessment of head control, rolling, sitting, crawling, standing and walking against expected milestones, with a graded programme to build the strength and control your child needs for the next stage.
• Torticollis and positional head shape concerns: Treatment of the tight neck muscles that cause a persistent head tilt or turning preference in babies, alongside positioning, handling and tummy time advice to support head shape.
• Toe walking: Assessment of calf and ankle flexibility, gait pattern and underlying cause, with stretching, strengthening, gait re-education and, where indicated, onward referral.
• Growth-related pain: Including heel pain (Sever’s), knee pain (Osgood-Schlatter) and other activity-related pain that appears during growth spurts, managed with load modification, targeted strengthening and a return-to-sport plan.
• Hypermobility, posture and gait concerns: Flat feet, knock knees, in-toeing, W-sitting and generalised joint hypermobility, where the aim is stability, endurance and confident movement rather than simply flexibility.
• Injury, fracture and post-operative rehabilitation: Structured rehabilitation for children and teenagers recovering from sports injuries, fractures or orthopaedic surgery, progressing safely back to school sport and activity.
• Ongoing rehabilitation for established neurological conditions: Maintenance and functional rehabilitation for children and young people with a stable, already-diagnosed neurological condition, working on strength, mobility and function.

Because The Health Suite is a full private medical clinic rather than a standalone physiotherapy practice, your child’s care can be extended without a separate referral pathway if the assessment points elsewhere:

• General Paediatrics: Consultant paediatric review where the presentation suggests a broader medical cause behind delayed milestones or persistent pain.
• Paediatric Ultrasound Scanning: Imaging of hips, soft tissue and joints where clinically indicated.
• Advanced Posture and Movement Assessment: Objective 3D posture and gait measurement for older children where biomechanics are central to the problem.
• Advanced Biomechanical Assessment for Orthotics: Footwear and orthotic assessment where foot posture is contributing to symptoms.
• Paediatric Nutrition Services: Nutritional support where growth, bone health or recovery capacity is a factor.
• Private GP and blood testing: Investigation of systemic causes of pain, fatigue or weakness, and onward referral where a specialist opinion is needed.

Scope of the service

Our paediatric physiotherapy service treats musculoskeletal and developmental presentations, and provides longer-term rehabilitation for children with an established neurological diagnosis. It is not an acute neurological service. Children who need urgent neurological assessment, acute inpatient neurorehabilitation, or specialist intervention for a newly suspected neurological condition should be seen through the appropriate acute or specialist paediatric pathway, and we will say so clearly and help direct you if that is what the assessment shows.

If you are unsure whether your child’s problem is one we can help with, book an initial assessment or contact the clinic. A short conversation before booking is always better than an appointment in the wrong place.