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Physiotherapy Blog
Early Intervention - Why is it Important?
The brains of infants and children from birth to three year of age are changing the most in their entire lifetime in the zero to three time period. In the first 2 years of life, babies form 1 million new synaptic connections . . . not per hour . . . not per minute . . . but per second . ( Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University ) That's incredible! That means we have the best chance of enhancing all aspects of development in the early years. Every new activi
Dr. Janet Hale
6 days ago4 min read
Classes for Infants with Torticollis
Do you have an infant recently diagnosed with torticollis, who has a tendency to turn to one side and or a flatness at the back of their head? You might be interested in Classes for Infants with Torticollis that I'm starting with PACE Physio held at my home office - in Westmount. We'll start with 2 infants at a time in the class. In the Classes for Infants with Torticollis - we will practice how to actively get your infant to turn to the opposite side, teach you how to stretc
Dr. Janet Hale
6 days ago3 min read
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My Infant has Torticollis - how long do I need Pediatric Physiotherapy
I was just reading a new research article from the American Pediatric Physical Therapy Journal; 2025;37:210-216 where they examined what factors were important to track for infants with torticollis. They mentioned the most IMPORTANT thing to track was how well the infant was able to turn their head to the opposite side - all by themselves and to full range. The ability of a therapist to move the neck passively to full range, was also important. Comparing the differences betw
Dr. Janet Hale
Apr 22, 20253 min read
My child is not playing as much with others
A research study done in 2019 observed 3 years old children in the daycare and watched them roam around in the daycare both inside and...
Dr. Janet Hale
Apr 22, 20252 min read
My child is clumsy and is falling a lot - PACE Physio can help
Have you ever noticed that your child is clumsy and is falling a lot. As a child they may have had some difficulty reaching their milestones on time - like crawling, walking or climbing stairs. You may notice they like to sit in W sitting position, but can't sit in a variety of different sitting positions. This could be a lack of core muscular control. When your child is in the playground or playing with others, you find they don't coordinate their movements as well as their
Dr. Janet Hale
Apr 22, 20252 min read
Ankle Collapse - or Ankle Pronation
As a pediatric physiotherapist I am always screening children for ankle pronation or ankle collapse. We screen from the back of the...
Dr. Janet Hale
Mar 17, 20252 min read
Pacifiers helpful for infants
Hi everyone; I was at the American Pediatric Physical Therapy Conference in November, 2024 and was interested by one of the presentations on pacifiers and nipples for breast feeding. They suggested pacifiers which more resembled the breast than other pacifiers. I find also that when we as physiotherapists are checking primitive reflexes, including the sucking reflex, it is much easier to feel the degree of suck with the more open pacifier. Things to think about for your littl
Dr. Janet Hale
Mar 17, 20251 min read
Safe Sleep Practices
Hi everyone; Just a reminder to those of you who have new infants. Attached are the guidelines for safe sleep practices. I think everyone knows now about the importance of your infant sleeping on their back. It's important also that they are alone in their bassinet or crib on a firm mattress. The new guidelines suggest having the infant in your room for the first 6 months, but not in your bed. Pacifiers are also recommended, as it helps with infant self soothing. Remember al
Dr. Janet Hale
Mar 17, 20252 min read
Healthy Body, Healthy Mind
This picture says it ALL - a healthy body and a healthy mind Cette photo dit tout: un corps sain et un esprit sain
Dr. Janet Hale
Mar 10, 20251 min read
The Best Infant Carrier I've Seen yet
As a pediatric physiotherapist with many years of experience, I wanted to offer my endorsement of the Baby Bjorn infant carrier. In my...
Dr. Janet Hale
Mar 10, 20252 min read
Physiotherapy at home is the best place for infant
As a physiotherapist who works with infants and children, I can see the difference when we see infants and children in their own home...
Dr. Janet Hale
Mar 10, 20252 min read
Shoes or No Shoes for the Early Walker
As a pediatric physiotherapist, I'm often asked, it is better for my toddler who is learning to walk to wear shoes or not. The answer is...
Dr. Janet Hale
Feb 12, 20252 min read
Sitting Equipment for Infants
As a pediatric physiotherapist, I'm often asked what is a good sitting equipment for infants learning to sit. When you are examining sitting equipment, it's important to look at different features. Most seats also come with a tray which helps the infant sit in a move upright sitting position because they can play with toys on the tray. Does the bottom of the seat have a flat bottom or is it curved? If it is curved, it places the pelvis in a backwards tilt, making the back cur
Dr. Janet Hale
Feb 12, 20252 min read
When would I consult a pediatric physiotherapist for my infant or child?
Hi everyone! I've put together a one page graphic to help parents understand when to consult with a pediatric physiotherapist. Pediatric physiotherapy is different from adult physiotherapy. Physiotherapy in general works on the principle of analyzing postures and movements and then detecting difficulties with strength, alignment, movement amplitudes, pain, coordination, balance, sensory appreciation, and/or endurance. But when working with children we make it fun, we play ga
Dr. Janet Hale
Jan 28, 20252 min read
Babies on the Move - Back Again by Popular Demand
Hi everyone! The Babies on the Move Classes are running again in September, starting September 23, 2025. Classes are arranged by age...
Dr. Janet Hale
Jan 27, 20253 min read
Learning to Walk
On average, infants practice 6 hours/day to learn how to walk. As with crawling, this practice helps them learn about different surfaces, balancing, adjusting their visual perspective and negotiating in their environment. They learn by making mistakes and correcting errors. They usually fall 17x/hour (Adolph et al., 2012) Their early kicking is actually related to later walking. But they need to learn how to control their posture in standing before walking. As they get better
Dr. Janet Hale
Jan 13, 20252 min read
NEW Course - Babies on the Move
Coming in the Spring 2025, I'm giving a NEW course called Babies on the Move, at the Westmount Activity and Recreation Center. As many...
Dr. Janet Hale
Jan 13, 20253 min read
Active adults create active children
Recent studies have shown our children are not as active as they need to be. Parents can help!! Active adults (parents) tend to create...
Dr. Janet Hale
Jan 7, 20252 min read
New guidelines for treating infants with torticollis
Hi everyone, I'm just back from the American Pediatric Physical Therapy conference 2024 and they have come out with a revised guideline for the treatment of infants with torticollis. One of the important parts of the guideline is making sure that we as pediatric physiotherapists see the infants as SOON as possible. If physiotherapy is started BEFORE 1 month of age, the research has found that there is 98.6% return of good outcomes. A good outcome is no head tilt, full range o
Dr. Janet Hale
Dec 9, 20243 min read
Timely Pediatric Physiotherapy - PACE Physio
We all know that timely pediatric physiotherapy services for our infants and children is extremely important. We're not really sure how...
Dr. Janet Hale
Dec 2, 20242 min read
Updates in Pediatric Physiotherapy - Traffic Lights for best practice in Cerebral Palsy
Did you know that there is a traffic light protocol - on what physiotherapist SHOULD do and shouldn't do for the treatment of infants and children with cerebral palsy, best practice in physiotherapy in cerebral palsy. According to an updated article in 2020 by Novak and others, we are getting much better at medical intervention in the Neonatal Intensive Care, including paying attention to parents and making sure they get lots of time with their infants. We are also getting be
Dr. Janet Hale
Nov 25, 20243 min read
Updates in Pediatric Physiotherapy - Training Motor Movements
Hi everyone! I'm just back from the American Pediatric Physical Therapy Conference in Rhode Island and they were reminding us about how what to focus on in training new motor movements like crawling, walking, balancing, climbing etc. The most important concept is that the infant or child do the motor movement themselves or actively - that is what creates motor learning and develops the brain circuitry. Training motor movements has to be fun, something the child is interested
Dr. Janet Hale
Nov 25, 20242 min read
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