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Physical Therapy for Babies with CHDs

Ages 0 - 12 Months

Physical therapy (PT) is a critical intervention for many babies with CHDs. It can help them to build strength, coordination, balance, and endurance, and to meet developmental milestones.By understanding the role and purpose of PT, you can help ensure that your baby is getting the best intervention possible.

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Why Physical Therapy?

Young children with heart defects often learn physical skills later than other children.  As babies, they may take a long time to learn skills such as head control, rolling, and sitting. 

Physical Therapy (PT) can help teach babies to use their bodies in new ways, and to explore their world more fully.

Physical Therapists (PTs) can work with babies on skills such as:  

  • Moving and using their arms and legs  

  • Building strength  

  • Improving balance and coordination  

  • Lifting and controlling their head

  • Pushing up on their arms

  • Rolling, sitting, and crawling  

  • Recovering from an injury, illness, or surgery  

  • Reducing pain  

Where to Find Physical Therapy

PTs work in many settings, and have different areas of specialty.   It is important to find a PT who has experience working with babies with medical complexity and developmental differences.  

PTs work at:  

  • Hospitals  

  • Early Intervention (EI)  

  • Outpatient clinics

  • Rehabilitation facilities  

In general, babies with heart defects should receive PT while they are in the hospital. After they are discharged, babies should be referred to their local Early Intervention (EI) program, which can continue to provide PT if needed. In addition, families may want to seek more sessions of PT through a clinic.

If parents are concerned about how their baby moves and uses their body, they should ask their doctor for the best way to get PT.   

Reducing Delays and Disabilities

When babies with heart defects get appropriate PT early in development, they have a better chance of meeting their developmental milestones as expected. If their development remains delayed, early and appropriate PT can help them to make as much progress as possible as quickly as possible.

This content was reviewed by a physical therapist at Boston Children's Hospital.

Families local to Boston can seek help from the Pediatric Physical Therapy Department.

CROITORU, R., & BALINT, N. T. (2014). THE ROLE OF PHYSICAL THERAPY IN DIMINISHING THE EFFECTS OF THE CONGENITAL HEART DEFECT--CASE STUDY. Sport & Society/Sport si Societate, 14.https://openurl.ebsco.com/EPDB%3Agcd%3A2%3A16999778/detailv2?sid=ebsco%3Aplink%3Ascholar&id=ebsco%3Agcd%3A96784183&crl=c
Fourdain, S., Simard, M. N., Dagenais, L., Materassi, M., Doussau, A., Goulet, J., ... & Gallagher, A. (2021). Gross motor development of children with congenital heart disease receiving early systematic surveillance and individualized intervention: brief report. Developmental neurorehabilitation, 24(1), 56-62.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17518423.2020.1711541
Sudhir, C. S., Sharath, H. V., Chavan, S. S., & Sharath, H. V. (2023). A brief overview of recent pediatric physical therapy practices and their importance. Cureus, 15(10).https://assets.cureus.com/uploads/review_article/pdf/180383/20231127-23845-h4nrvy.pdf
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