Pediatric physical therapy in Polk County, FL
Pediatric physical therapy at Core Rehabilitation is one-on-one care for patients 12 and older, from sports injuries and growth-related knee and heel pain to back pain and recovery after surgery. We offer it at all three of our clinics, in Lake Wales, Haines City and Winter Haven, and you can start without a referral.
Reviewed by Joe Koloc, PT, MSPT, MBA, founder of Core Rehabilitation. Last reviewed: October 16, 2026
At a glance
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Ages: 12 and older
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Helps with: Sports injuries, growth-related knee and heel pain, back pain, and recovery after surgery or a fracture
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Where: All 3 clinics: Lake Wales, Haines City and Winter Haven
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Your visits: One-on-one with a licensed physical therapist. A parent or guardian comes to the first visit.
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Referral: Not needed to start in Florida. A parent or guardian signs written consent.
Overview
What is pediatric physical therapy?
Pediatric physical therapy is physical therapy for children and teens. At Core Rehabilitation it's for patients 12 and older: a licensed physical therapist checks how your teen moves, finds what's behind their pain or injury, and builds a plan of exercise and hands-on care that suits a body that's still growing.
Teens aren't small adults. Growth spurts can leave muscles tight and tendons pulling hard where they attach to growing bone near the knee and heel, and a lot of practice in one sport can overload the same spots again and again. Your teen's plan takes that into account, along with school, practice and game schedules.
Looking for care for a younger child? We don't see children under 12. Developmental care for babies and young children, such as help with rolling, crawling, walking or coordination, is a separate specialty. Your child's pediatrician can point you to the right provider, and for children under 3, Florida's Early Steps program offers early intervention.
Is it for you?
Signs your teen could benefit from physical therapy
Teens often heal quickly, but pain that keeps coming back, or that changes how they move, is worth checking.
Knee pain just below the kneecap that's worse with running, jumping or kneeling
Heel pain during or after practice or games
Low back pain that's worse when arching backward, especially in sports like gymnastics, dance and football
An ankle or knee that keeps giving way after a sprain
Pain that has made them stop or cut back on a sport they love
Limping, or favoring one leg or arm
Neck, shoulder or back pain from long hours at a desk, on a phone or carrying a heavy backpack
Recovering from surgery, such as an ACL reconstruction, and needing a safe plan back to sport
See a doctor first if your teen has: pain that wakes them at night or is there even at rest, a fever with bone or joint pain, swelling or a limp with no clear injury, a possible broken bone, or new numbness or weakness. After a head injury with headache, dizziness, confusion or vomiting, they need to see a doctor the same day. Call 911 if they lose consciousness or symptoms get worse.
What it treats
Conditions pediatric physical therapy commonly helps
Your teen's therapist looks at the whole picture, including growth, training load and technique, not only where it hurts.
Sports and activity injuries
Sprains, strains and overuse injuries from practice and play, and a guided return to the field or court. Our sports physical therapy page covers return-to-sport care in more detail.
Ankle sprain
Shoulder and elbow overuse
Hamstring and groin strains
ACL injury
Back and posture
Low back pain in young athletes, including stress fractures in the spine, and exercise for teens with scoliosis alongside the care their doctor directs.
Low back pain
Neck and upper back pain
Spondylolysis (spine stress fracture)
Scoliosis
Growth-related pain
Pain where tendons attach to growing bone, most often at the knee or heel, plus kneecap pain that flares with running, stairs or sitting.
Osgood-Schlatter disease
Sinding-Larsen-Johansson syndrome
Sever's disease (heel pain)
Patellofemoral pain (kneecap pain)
After surgery or a fracture
Getting strength, movement and confidence back after surgery or time in a cast, following the surgeon's instructions. Our post-surgical rehab page covers this care in more detail. HITL: confirm surgeries seen
After kneecap stabilization surgery
After a fracture or cast
After ACL reconstruction
After shoulder stabilization surgery
Your care
What's included in pediatric physical therapy
Every plan is built from your teen's evaluation, and most include a mix of the following.
A full evaluation, with you there. Your teen's history, growth, sports and activity load, strength, flexibility, balance and how they move.
Strength training for growing bodies. Supervised strength work matched to your teen's level, starting with good technique before adding weight.
Jumping, landing and cutting technique. Practice in safer ways to land, stop and change direction, a key part of knee and ACL injury prevention.
Flexibility and mobility. Stretching and mobility work for muscles that get tight during growth spurts.
Hands-on care. Gentle manual therapy for sore, stiff muscles and joints, always explained to your teen first.
Training-load guidance. How much to practice, when to rest and how to stay active while pain settles, without sitting out longer than needed.
Return-to-work planning. A step-by-step plan, agreed with your doctor, from light or modified duty back to full duty.
Scoliosis exercise and posture work. Exercise and posture training for teens with scoliosis, alongside the monitoring or bracing their doctor directs.
Rehab after surgery or a cast. Rebuilding movement and strength step by step, following the surgeon's protocol.
Updates for parents and coaches. Clear updates for you and, with your permission, your teen's coach or athletic trainer.
A home program that fits their week. A short routine that works around school, practice and games, adjusted at each visit.
Do I need a referral for pediatric physical therapy?
No. In Florida you can start physical therapy, including pediatric physical therapy, without a physician's referral. Florida Statute §486.021 allows a physical therapist to treat you for up to 30 days without one.
What happens at your teen's first visit?
Your teen's first visit starts with a conversation about what hurts, what they want to get back to, and how school and sports fit in. A first visit usually takes about 45 to 60 minutes.
Because your teen is under 18, a parent or legal guardian must give written consent before treatment starts. Florida law requires this for health care given to minors (Florida Statute §1014.06).
Some insurance plans set their own referral rules, so our front desk checks your teen's plan before the first visit and tells you if anything else is needed. If a pediatrician, surgeon or athletic trainer has already seen your teen, bring their notes.
Talk it through. Your teen describes what's happening in their own words, and you fill in the history.
Movement check. Strength, flexibility, balance and the moves their sport needs, like squatting, jumping or throwing.
Your findings, explained. What's likely driving the pain, explained to your teen and to you.
The plan. How often to come in, plus one or two exercises to start at home.
Parents and guardians
A parent or legal guardian signs the consent forms and comes to the first visit. Ask us about later visits, since some teens come on their own once a plan is in place. Your teen's therapist explains each part of the exam to them before starting, and they can ask to pause at any time.
Workers' comp and insurance
Does insurance cover pediatric physical therapy?
Pediatric physical therapy is billed as physical therapy, so it's often covered when your teen's plan includes physical therapy benefits. Core Rehabilitation accepts more than 200 insurance plans, and we verify your teen's benefits before the first visit.
Where to find it
Pediatric physical therapy at all three of our clinics
Looking for pediatric physical therapy near you? It's part of the full service menu at every Core Rehabilitation clinic in Polk County, with the same approach at each one.
Lake Wales
Pediatric physical therapy in Lake Wales
2031 State Rd 60 East, Lake Wales, FL 33898
Mon–Fri 8:00–12:00 & 1:00–5:00
Haines City
Pediatric physical therapy in Haines City
50 Maxcy Plaza Circle, Haines City, FL 33844
Mon–Fri 8:00–12:00 & 1:00–5:00
Winter Haven
Pediatric physical therapy in Winter Haven
3017 Cypress Gardens Rd, Winter Haven, FL 33884
Mon–Fri 9:00–12:00 & 1:00–5:00
Why it works
Why physical therapy is a sensible choice for teens
Guidelines back exercise-based care for teens: supervised strength training has low injury rates, exercise is the main recommended treatment for kneecap pain, and injury-prevention exercise programs are recommended for young athletes.
The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that children and teens can gain strength through resistance training with low injury rates when it's well supervised and technique comes first. For kneecap pain (patellofemoral pain) in teens and adults, the American Physical Therapy Association's orthopaedic guideline recommends exercise therapy that targets both the hip and the knee. For young athletes, guidelines from physical therapy's orthopaedic and sports academies recommend exercise-based programs to lower the risk of knee and ACL injuries.
Growth-related conditions such as Osgood-Schlatter disease usually ease as growth slows, and therapy helps your teen stay active while they do. Results differ from person to person. Your teen's therapist will tell you what's realistic after the evaluation, and will refer you back to a doctor if anything needs medical attention.
Sources: Stricker PR, et al. Pediatrics, 2020 (American Academy of Pediatrics clinical report on resistance training); Willy RW, et al. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 2019 (patellofemoral pain guideline); Arundale AJH, et al. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 2018, updated 2023 (knee and ACL injury prevention guideline).
Keep exploring
Related care and next steps
Sports physical therapy
Return-to-sports testing and injury prevention
Post-surgical rehab
Recovery after ACL, shoulder and other surgery.
Start without a referral
Florida direct access, insurance and your first visit.
Find your clinic
Lake Wales, Haines City, and Winter Haven.
Frequently asked questions
Book your visit
Start with a one-on-one evaluation
Tell us which clinic suits you and when you're free. We'll call to set up your teen's first visit, check insurance and send the consent forms.
Lake Wales · 863-678-0705
Haines City · 863-421-2000
Winter Haven · 863-268-6523