Children’s Physiotherapy · Gold Coast
Kids’ physio that fits their world, not ours.
Children aren’t small adults. They get hurt differently, heal differently, and respond to different language. Our physios work with kids from toddler through teenager — injury rehab, sport conditioning, developmental concerns, and growth-related pain.
What kids’ physio actually involves.
The fundamentals of physiotherapy don’t change between a child and an adult: assess, identify the issue, build the right loading and exercise plan, review. What changes is the delivery — the language used, the way exercises are framed, the parent’s role in carrying out the plan, and the developmental context for what we’re seeing.
A 6 year-old with a sore knee from football needs different handling than a 25 year-old with the same injury — not less rigorous, just appropriately framed. A teenager with a stress fracture needs the right balance of strict offloading and active management; we know teens often interpret “rest” as “cease all activity” and burn out.
We collaborate with the in-house podiatry team for lower-limb issues, Pilates for ongoing rehab, and refer up to paediatricians or orthopaedic specialists when the case needs it.
Who we work with
Six paediatric physio scenarios we treat.
01
Sport injury in school-age kids.
Sprained ankles, tweaked knees, sore backs from gymnastics, dance, footy, soccer. Assess properly, give them a plan that fits their school and training schedule, and get them back to play safely. We don’t over-restrict but we also don’t under-treat.
02
Sever’s or Osgood-Schlatter.
Growth-plate-related pain in 8–14 year olds during heavy sport. Common, manageable, and almost never needs surgery. We build a plan around their season — not just “stop everything” which most kids will ignore anyway.
03
Recurring injuries or training niggles.
Same hamstring tweak every term. Knee that flares with every weekend tournament. These patterns are usually a strength gap or training-load issue we can identify and structure around.
04
Developmental concerns.
Late walking, clumsy gait, persistent toe-walking, low muscle tone, hypermobility. We assess and either reassure, build a structured program, or refer to a paediatrician for cases that need wider workup.
05
Post-fracture or post-surgery rehab.
Once your child is out of the cast or post-op clearance, the rebuild work begins. We coordinate with the surgeon’s protocol and progress at the right pace for their age and sport.
06
Teen athletes with elite-level demands.
Junior nationals, state squads, scholarship sport. We treat dozens of these kids each year. The injury profile is closer to adult sport, the body is still growing — needs careful programming.
How we work with kids
Settle. Plan. Review. Repeat.
01
Child-friendly assessment.
Settle the kid in first — especially the younger ones — before any hands-on. Movement screen, specific tests, and a chat with the parent about what they’re seeing at home. Most kids are comfortable within 5 minutes.
02
Plan that works for their life.
Exercises kids will actually do. Sport modifications they can stick to. Communication with school PE or club coaches if that helps. The best plan is one that fits the family’s real-world week.
03
Review with progression in mind.
Kids progress quickly — we re-assess often and ramp the program. We finish care when they’re symptom-free AND have the capacity to handle their normal sport load. Not before.
The honest comparison
Three ways parents handle children’s physio needs.
01
Ace — paediatric-experienced physios.
Used to working with kids who are shy, nervous, or fidgety. We don’t over-treat and we don’t under-treat. Communication with parents and clarity on what to watch for at home is built in.
02
Adult physio not used to kids.
Generally fine for teenagers with adult-pattern injuries. Less useful for younger children, developmental concerns, or growth-related issues where age-specific knowledge matters.
03
“Wait and see.”
Sometimes the right call — many childhood concerns resolve with growth. Sometimes the wait is too long and reactivity issues entrench. A single assessment tells you which one you’re looking at.
Is this your child?
If this sounds like them, book in.
01
Your child got injured at sport and you’re not sure how serious it is.
Worth a single physio assessment. We’ll tell you what it is, whether imaging is needed, and what the plan looks like.
02
Recurring growth-plate pain like Sever’s or Osgood-Schlatter.
These do settle with the right management. A structured plan that fits your child’s sport season usually beats “just rest.”
03
Concerns about your child’s gait, posture or movement.
Worth getting a baseline assessment. Most cases get reassurance. Some need intervention — better to know early than late.
Questions parents ask
Common children’s physio questions.
01 Do I need a referral?
No. Book directly. If you have a referral or notes from a GP, paediatrician, or surgeon, bring them along — they help. NDIS and Medicare EPC plans can be applied where eligible.
02 Will the appointment scare my child?
We work hard to make sure it doesn’t. Toys, calm voices, parent in the room throughout, no rushed examinations. Most younger children settle within five minutes.
03 How many sessions will my child need?
Highly variable. Simple acute injuries often resolve in 2–3 sessions. Growth-plate conditions like Sever’s need monitoring through the sport season. Post-surgery rehab is longer. We’ll give you an honest estimate at the first visit.
04 Will my child have to stop sport?
Not usually. We modify wherever possible rather than stopping outright. Kids who are sidelined often disengage; kids who can keep doing something stay invested in recovery.
05 Are NDIS or Medicare plans applicable?
Yes — NDIS funded participants with relevant goals can claim, and children on a Medicare EPC plan (chronic disease management) can access bulk-billed sessions. We’ll guide you through the paperwork.
06 Is the visit covered by private health?
Yes — physiotherapy is claimable under your physio extras with every major fund. We HICAPS on the spot.
HICAPS on the spot — plus NDIS & Medicare EPC bulk-billing for eligible kids.
Sorted properly. Not over-treated.
