How do I know if my child’s movement needs a doctor?
Some signs need a doctor before anything else. The rule is simple: a sudden change, a lost skill or a child who seems unwell goes to the doctor first. A slow, steady difference in how a child moves can start with a physiotherapist.
If you are unsure, take the safer step and ask a doctor. A short visit settles the question, and your child can still start physiotherapy afterwards.
Which signs mean I should see a doctor today?
If you see any of these, go to an emergency department, such as the one at Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun:
- Your child suddenly cannot move an arm or leg, or one side of the face droops.
- A limp or refusal to walk comes with fever or a swollen, hot joint.
- Your child has a fit, becomes very drowsy or is hard to wake.
- There is a fall from a height, followed by vomiting, a headache or confusion.
- Your baby is very floppy, will not feed or does not respond to you.
Do not book physiotherapy first in these situations. A doctor needs to see your child now.
Which signs mean I should see a doctor soon?
Make an appointment within days, not months, if you notice:
- A skill your child had is gone, such as walking, babbling or using a hand.
- A limp that lasts more than a few days with no clear cause.
- Pain in a leg or the back that wakes your child at night.
- One side of the body clearly weaker or smaller than the other.
- A head that stays tilted to one side, or a baby who only turns one way.
Many families start at the klinik kesihatan, where the child health record book already tracks height, weight and milestones. Others see a paediatrician at KPJ Ipoh Specialist Hospital, Fatimah Hospital or Pantai Hospital Ipoh. Choose the one your family already trusts.
What about late walking and other milestones?
Healthy children reach milestones at very different ages. In the World Health Organization (WHO) motor development study, healthy children learned to walk alone anywhere from about eight months to nearly eighteen months [1]. A child near the later end may be perfectly healthy.
That is why a milestone chart alone is a poor judge. A doctor or physiotherapist looks at how your child moves, not only at when. Read more in our baby motor milestones guide and on late walking.
Which concerns can go to a physiotherapist?
Slow-building worries suit physiotherapy well, once a doctor has had a look if you are unsure:
- A toddler who walks on tiptoes most of the time.
- A child who trips, falls or tires faster than classmates.
- Flat feet or knock knees that bother your child when running.
- Weak core and poor posture, with no pain at night.
- Return to sport after a sprain, once the doctor says it is fine.
Our paediatric physiotherapy service looks at these at home or, soon, at our Canning Garden centre.
What should I bring to the doctor?
Take a few minutes before the visit. Bring the child health record book, any hospital letters, a short note of when you first noticed the problem, and a phone video of how your child walks or moves. A video shows what the clinic room does not, because children behave differently in a strange place.
Write down your questions in advance. Ask what the doctor thinks is happening, what to watch for, and whether physiotherapy would help. Your answers will help us too if you decide to message us afterwards.