Children's Hospital Colorado
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Physical Therapy for Kids

At Children’s Hospital Colorado, we treat the big things, the small things and everything in between.

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720-777-6655

Licensed physical therapists at the Physical Therapy Program at Children's Hospital Colorado offer evaluation and care for kids, teens and young adults with injuries, illnesses or disabilities that affect range of movement and physical health.

What is physical therapy?

Physical therapy helps children and young adults who have limited range of motion and difficulty with physical activity due to illness or disability. Physical therapy can also benefit patients who have recently undergone surgery or suffered an injury. By working with patients to restore maximum function and range of motion, our physical therapists help build muscle strength, coordination and overall health through specific exercises, stretches and more.

Our team of physical therapists cares for kids with many different injuries and conditions. While our sports medicine physical therapy program gets athletes back on track after a sports injury, our physical therapists help patients with illness or disability maintain their strength and mobility — and these are just some of the ways our therapists help kids live their lives.

Conditions we treat

We specialize in physical therapy for:

Physical therapy services we provide

At the Physical Therapy Program, we offer a wide range of services that are specific to each child's needs. While your specific treatment plan will be provided after initial or ongoing assessments, we generally offer services that include:

  • Evaluation of development, sensory motor function and biomechanics
  • Casting and splinting
  • Gait assessment or training
  • Scoliosis evaluations and treatment
  • Tone management evaluations and treatment
  • Prosthesis training
  • Assistive technology (power and manual wheelchair) evaluation and training
  • Pain management
  • Seating and mobility
  • Limb lengthening
  • Home, school and community assessments and adaptations
  • Environmental assessment for adaptations or modifications
  • Home exercise programs
  • Newborn positioning to prevent contracture (shortening of a muscle or joint)

To ensure each patient has access to the unique services they require, our physical therapy team also works closely with the Rehabilitation Program and other multi-specialty clinics and programs at Children's Colorado, including:

At Children's Colorado, your child's and your family's goals and priorities are an important consideration in determining a care plan. Depending on your child's specific needs, your physical therapy team will work with other care providers to ensure that a customized treatment plan is created with other medical needs in mind.

How to prepare for a physical therapy visit

Our mission is to provide your child with the highest quality of care. We achieve this by helping you understand what therapy can and cannot do, and we focus on family priorities and open communication between the therapist and the family.

During your initial visit to the Physical Therapy Program, our therapists will gather information about your child's specific needs and concerns. It is important that the child's parent(s) or guardian be present at the initial appointment. During the first session, a physical therapist will offer education and home program ideas, as well as discuss inpatient or outpatient programs that may benefit your child.

Your participation is needed to make the best recommendations for your child, and we value all information that you can share with us regarding your child's injury or condition. Please bring any appropriate medical and school reports that you think will help us better understand your child.

Meet our team

Here at Children's Colorado, licensed physical therapists and physical therapy assistants provide care in inpatient and outpatient settings, as well as offer home programs and community-based sessions as needed. We recruit therapy staff with skills and clinical expertise specific to a specialized program area. We believe that skill, expertise and passion are essential in securing optimal outcomes for all our patients and their families.

Many of our programs are complemented by skilled therapy aides who support our treatment services. Our staff receives extensive training, mentoring and clinical support to provide clinically-advanced therapy in the program areas they work in.

Why choose the Physical Therapy Program at Children's Colorado?

At Children's Colorado, our treatment approach is family-centered, which means that both the parent and the child play an active and integral role in goal identification and treatment planning. We involve parents in all aspects of decision-making throughout the treatment process, and highly encourage parent involvement and participation in treatment sessions.

We work collaboratively across multiple disciplines to provide a comprehensive approach, which also helps us care for patients with a wide range of needs. Many of our specialized programs are physician-led, where therapists work directly alongside physicians to provide seamless care and communication for patients and their families.

We offer specialized programs at our hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora as well as other locations throughout the Front Range. We also offer home programs and community-based therapy sessions to maximize the effectiveness of physical therapy.

The ultimate goal of therapy is to integrate patients into their communities. This is why we also create community partnerships that offer education, camps and transitional services for healthcare providers in the Denver metro area.

Contact Us

720-777-6655