MD Milena Adzic
Physiatrist
Physical Medicine
A children's physiatrist is a physical medicine and rehabilitation subspecialist, who deals with physical development assessment in children, works on the recovery of motor skills after surgery, injury or illness, and is dedicated to improving the lives of children with disabilities.
A physiatrist can help in the case of torticollis (i.e. "wry neck"), low or high tone of a new-born (hypotonia or hypertonia), skeleton deformities (bowlegs and knock-knees). Also, improper body posture can often cause spine deformities in children (kyphosis, scoliosis), and in such cases the physiatrist performs physical therapy.
What do we provide?
Pediatric rehabilitation differs from adult rehabilitation because children are constantly growing physically, intellectually and emotionally. In our clinic, physical therapy services for children from birth to adulthood are adapted to the constant changes and development of children.
Our physiatrist will first take the anamnesis from the parents and perform an examination of the following:
- Observe child's posture and walking
- Observe and examine the mobility of the spine and joints
- Test muscle sensitivity and reflexes
- Perform a manual muscle test of tone and strength
- Measure the volume and length of limbs
- Inspect peripheral circulation
The examination may, if necessary, include additional tests, such as blood and urine tests, X-rays, magnetic resonance, ultrasound, and the like. After a detailed examination, the physiatrist will develop a physical therapy plan.
When to see a physiatrist?
A visit to a physiatrist is mostly done upon referral by a pediatrician or neonatologist who notices the problem first, for example, if the baby is born prematurely, if the child has a nervous system disorder, development delay, movement disorder, genetically conditioned disease, cerebral palsy, long-term immobilization, and the like.