English

The Pediatric Division of the Latvian Association of Physiotherapists was founded in September 2022 with the purpose to improve the professional competencies of physiotherapists in Latvia who are passionate about working with children and their families. We are 7 board members and aim to provide specialists with evidence-based practical and theoretical educational resources related to pediatric physiotherapy.

Our vision is that every child in Latvia has access to high-quality, respectful, person-centered,  evidence-based and evidence-informed physiotherapy.

Our 103 members work with children in a variety of settings including home, school, in-hospital, out-patient clinics, and rehabilitation centers both in public and private health care.

Since 2022 our facebook and Instagram accounts have been launched with news about upcoming projects, available educational courses and international seminars, as well as our self written posts in Latvian about rare pediatric diseases and the role of physiotherapy in the treatment based on current available scientific literature. All the information is shared with our members via e-mail as well.

In September 2023 we organized an online webinar on the topic of handling typically developing infants - four specialists each presented their approach (NDT, Kinaesthetic handling, Pikler and osteopathy) with a lengthy discussion between them afterwards. Two in-person workshops on respiratory pediatric physiotherapy techniques have been taught by our two board members. Five online meetings with our members have been held since 2022 -  there has been a discussion on the state of pediatric physiotherapy in Latvia, experiences from international courses shared and a clinical case study on Duchenne muscular dystrophy presented.

In March 2024 we organized a national webinar in collaboration with the Orthopaedic Division of Latvian Association of Physiotherapists - Musculoskeletal Disorders in Pediatrics: Evidence-Based Approach. Five specialists presented information about impact of gross motor function on speech motor control and evaluation of functional movement in preschool children with orofacial myofunctional disorders, practical strategies in the management of adolescent obesity, prevention of overuse injuries in adolescent team sports and stages of soft tissue healing in adolescent athletes.

Our latest project is a poster with suggestions for the caregivers of toddlers and preschoolers with correct posture and movement when lifting, carrying and communicating with a child. The poster was distributed online and is available to the general public celebrating the World PT day with the prevention of low back pain in mind. It is also available here (in Latvian): https://fizioterapeitiem.lv/lv/sabiedribai/fizioterapija-pediatrija/padomi-pirmsskolas-vecuma-berna-celsana-un-turesana-lai 

We have a couple of ongoing projects to create or translate assessment tools for pediatric physiotherapists in Latvia and plans for many diverse educational courses in the near future.

We are looking forward to collaborating with other pediatric physiotherapy special interest groups and international organizations to further improve the health and well-being of children around the world by advancing excellence in pediatric physiotherapy.

e-mail: fizio.pediatrija@gmail.com

web page: https://fizioterapeitiem.lv/lv/fizioterapija-pediatrija/english

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LFAFP

Instagram: fizioterapija_pediatrija

Chair: Solvita Ķerve

Contact: Elita Zepa