Pediatric physical therapy helps children with physical, neurological, or developmental challenges improve movement, strength, and coordination. It supports children from infancy through adolescence in reaching milestones like crawling, walking, and running through play-based, evidence-based interventions.
Our dynamic pediatric physical therapy program is designed to support children from infancy through adolescence in achieving their full functional potential. We are proud to help our patients from Chattanooga and the surrounding areas reach their own “firsts” in a warm, welcoming, fun, and kid-friendly environment. Whether your child is facing challenges with gross motor skills, recovering from an injury, managing a chronic condition, or simply striving to improve their overall well-being, our compassionate and experienced team is here to deliver personalized, evidence-based care.
Services We Offer:
From birth through adolescence, we provide expert and quality outpatient rehabilitation care with specialized programs, including:
Our PTs work with infants and children who have delays in gross motor development, torticollis, plagiocephaly, atypical gait patterns like toe walking, and co-ordination and strength challenges. We also specializing in providing therapeutic care for the medically complex and neurologically complex children, and work with the local vendors to assess children for adaptive equipment and orthotics.
Individuals with limited English proficiency will have access to free interpretation and translation services.
Your child’s first visit includes a thorough evaluation by one of our expert physical therapists. We’ll assess your child’s strengths, challenges, and developmental milestones, collaborating with you to understand their current functional level. Based on these findings, we’ll craft a personalized treatment plan to address challenges to movement and function. Each session is specifically tailored to meet your child’s unique needs, delivered in a supportive, engaging environment that encourages progress and fosters a positive experience.
At Siskin Children’s Institute, we believe that effective therapy begins with a strong partnership between families and our dedicated team. Through hands-on therapy, creative exercises, and play-based activities, we’re committed to making every step of the process both impactful and enjoyable.
Our experienced and highly skilled pediatric physical therapist works closely with both children and their families using a variety of innovative techniques aimed at facilitating gross motor skill development, building strength, improving functional mobility, restoring maximum movement and functional ability, preventing injuries from recurring, and improving balance and coordination.
We provide quality care for children with a wide range of conditions, including—but not limited to:
Physical therapists see children with a wide variety of diagnoses, such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and muscular dystrophy, but we don’t base services solely on a diagnosis. We look at the child individually, assessing their mobility, strength, and ability to move and participate in daily activities at home, school, and in their community. Children do not necessarily need a specific diagnosis, but if they have challenges with movement, coordination, or physical function, they can be evaluated by a physical therapist to create goals that help them improve mobility, build strength, and gain independence.
The purpose of a physical therapy evaluation is to get to know the child and their guardian(s), assess the child’s movement abilities and needs, and establish goals for therapy. During a physical therapy evaluation, a PT meets with both the parent and the child to discuss concerns about mobility, strength, balance, and coordination. We also conduct standardized testing to assess areas under the physical therapy umbrella. This may include evaluating gross motor skills, muscle strength, range of motion, posture, balance, and how the child moves during play or daily activities. We observe how they walk, run, jump, climb, and interact with their environment. The entire evaluation takes about 1-2 hours.
A typical physical therapy session lasts about an hour and is very play-based. We get down to the child’s level, incorporating movement and activities that align with their therapy goals. From an outside perspective, it may look like we’re just playing, but from the PT’s perspective, we are multitasking—working on strength, balance, coordination, and mobility all at once.
We might use obstacle courses, jumping, climbing, or riding a scooter to target core strength and coordination. While playing catch, we may be focusing on balance, hand-eye coordination, and motor planning. If we’re practicing walking or running, we’re assessing gait patterns and adjusting as needed. The child doesn’t necessarily realize they’re in therapy—they just think they’re having fun, which helps keep them engaged while we work toward improving their physical abilities.
Siskin’s physical therapy team, along with our entire therapy team, stands out because we take a multidisciplinary approach to care. Our physical therapist works closely with occupational and speech therapists, as well as our medical team, to ensure a comprehensive treatment plan tailored to each child’s needs. This collaborative approach allows us to address multiple aspects of a child’s development, from mobility and strength to communication and daily living skills. By working together across disciplines, we create a supportive and individualized therapy experience that helps children in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia reach their full potential.
The best way for families to get connected to therapy services here at Siskin is to contact their pediatrician and talk to them about requesting a referral here to Siskin for physical therapy. If the child is already getting medical services here at Siskin Children’s Institute, contacting the developmental pediatrician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant about a referral to the therapy department works well too.
Monday – Friday | 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday | CLOSED
1101 Carter Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402
Direct – 423.490.7710
Fax – 423.490.7750
Referral Fax Line – 1.888.599.0828
(Referrals Only Please)
