A day in the life of a private practice physiotherapist treating paediatric patients
By Physiotherapist Tayla Lindner
7:10-7:30am
The day always begins with checking over my diary to organize the day ahead. This involves planning which toys and games I’ll take into sessions for clients to play with while they complete their exercises. I’ll have a quick read over work emails to make sure I’m up to date for the day.
7:30-8:30am
My first client of the day is a girl with Cerebral Palsy who has just been to see her specialist team to receive botox injections into her tight leg muscles. The botox allows her to get her heels down onto the ground to stand, so she can be more balanced. We play a doll house game at the plinth while she’s standing, then we practice ankle range of motion exercises and play with a puzzle to finish up.
9:30-10:30am
My next client is a young athlete who has a torn ACL after a soccer injury. He’s been rehabilitating his knee for the past 12 weeks, and it’s time to do some reassessment to work out if it’s time to progress to the next stage of rehabilitation. In our clinic we have access to the AxIT System which is a way to objectively assess how strong a muscle is and this guides our next steps. He’s doing really well with his hamstring strength and balance, so it’s time to progress to the next stages!
10:30-11:30am
My next client is an older girl coming in with lots of joint hypermobility. We’re working on pilates based exercises, and she gets to choose a spotify playlist to listen to while she exercises. We work on core activities, single leg balance and calf strength to work towards her goal of having less joint pain. It is important to form a connection with clients, especially younger ones so they feel comfortable and supported.
11:30-12:30pm
I have the next hour to finalise and send off an equipment request application to the NDIS for a client to receive a modified bicycle. The report has taken 6 hours to finish so it’s great to get it sent off today! The report will be assessed by the NDIS to determine if the equipment is reasonable and necessary for this particular client.
12:30-1:00pm
Lunch time! I have a homemade caramelized onion, pumpkin and feta quiche today, which I'm very excited for. I sit outside with my colleagues and enjoy the fresh air.
1:00-2:00pm
I head out of the clinic to visit a client at daycare. I usually listen to the Hamish and Andy podcast on my way to a visit. This client has been having trouble sitting upright on the floor and with some balance games his educators have played. The visit is an observation session, so I can identify where some of his challenges are and we can work on them at our next clinic visit.
2:00-3:00pm
I have a break in my diary to catch up on my clinical notes, spend some time analysing client gait video’s and finish any reports to doctors or other health professionals who are involved with my clients.
3:00-4:00pm
I jump in the car to head down to The Oasis, our local swimming center to the hydrotherapy pool. The client I’m seeing has a condition which has affected the development of her hips, and she’s had corrective surgery and is starting to walk on her leg again. We play lots of kicking games and spend some time practicing standing on the stairs.
We hope this gives you a clearer idea of how we work with children and families, and the type of work that we do to help children of all abilities to achieve their best at Active Physiotherapy.