19/04/2026
🌟 Paediatric Musculoskeletal Disorders: 5 Things Parents Should Know 🌟
The Australian Physiotherapy Association recently highlighted five key facts about musculoskeletal (MSK) issues in children — and they’re important for families to understand.
Here’s what the latest evidence tells us:
🟠 A limping child always needs investigation
A limp is never “just normal”. It’s a symptom, not a diagnosis.
It can reflect anything from minor injury to infection, inflammation, developmental conditions or, rarely, serious pathology.
If your child is limping — especially with fever, night pain, or difficulty weightbearing — they should be assessed promptly.
🟣Knocked knees are often normal — but not always
Many children naturally move through phases of bowing and valgus as they grow.
But physiotherapy review is important when:
- the alignment is unilateral,
- there is pain,
- the angle is excessive, or
- it persists beyond age 8.
Physios help monitor alignment, guide strengthening, and identify when further investigation is needed.
🟢Toe walking needs targeted assessment
Some children toe-walk for sensory or developmental reasons; others due to neuromuscular conditions.
Persistent toe walking can shorten the calf–Achilles complex and affect long‑term gait.
Evidence supports prolonged stretching, functional strengthening, and sometimes orthotic or casting approaches — not massage alone.
🔵Talipes can be positional or congenital
- Positional talipes is flexible and usually corrects well with early physiotherapy and parent‑led stretching.
- Congenital talipes (clubfoot) is a fixed deformity requiring early orthopaedic management (e.g., Ponseti method).
Physios play a key role in early identification, parent education, and developmental monitoring.
🟡Hypermobility exists on a spectrum
Many children are naturally flexible — but some experience pain, fatigue, reduced stamina, or difficulty keeping up with peers.
Physiotherapists support children with:
- strength and endurance building
- motor control training
- graded activity
- monitoring during growth spurts
Hypermobility can also overlap with neurodevelopmental traits, so a holistic approach matters.
🦅How physiotherapists help
Paediatric physios use play‑based, family-centred, evidence‑informed strategies to support:
- Pain and injury management
- Strength, balance, and motor skill development
- Gait and posture concerns
- Hypermobility and endurance challenges
- Early identification of conditions needing medical review
- Family‑friendly education and practical home strategies
If you’re unsure whether your child’s movement, pain, or walking pattern is typical, we’re always happy to help guide you. Head to our website www.aquilakids.au to book an appointment with one of you Physiotherapists with special interest in Paediatrics.
https://australian.physio/research/translation/five-facts-about-paediatric-musculoskeletal-disorders
