Move and Grow Physio

09/11/2025

Hi followers.
Our phones seem to be not ringing today and getting into voice mail is a challenge.
If you are trying to get in touch please send a text message or call your therapist directly (direct numbers are in our reminder message and email signatures).

Cheers
Lucy!

04/11/2025

Lucy is in Brisbane this week at the Rehab for kids conference. This is a multidisciplinary conference with a focus on both acute and longer term support for kids. What's great is that we don't just have physios, but a chance to hear from and talk to professionals of various disciplines. Multidisciplinary understanding and collaboration is so important to support our kids and families in the best way possible.

So far today there have been very interesting discussions about mental health support; Cerebral Visual Impairments; families journeys through the acute, medical system into community supports; participation in sports.

29/10/2025

A slightly late New Toy Tuesday...

The GoBalance board. Designed to be used standing up, we can adjust for various skill levels or goals and use it sitting, with arms getting the work out or standing to help kids learn about balance, work out core muscles and build stability while having fun.

28/10/2025

If your child is aged 0-4 and you haven't already requested an invitation to this year's special children's Christmas party get in touch!

We will be there with our quiet corner / sensory space to be a bit of a break from the busy, loud party area to help kids be able to stay longer at the party by having breaks whenever they need.

24/10/2025

Working with a lovely young man today on being able to identify and report his feelings (especially pain, pressure or something being wrong) inside.

The hard balance between trying to reduce fear and anxiety around pain that makes us notice it way way more. But not making him think he needs to under report or ignore something if it isn't doesn't feel right is tough. Especially if you may also not really have the interception to be able to identify these feelings yourself.

So today, we absolutely avoided any movement, work or focus around a hip that has had multiple surgeries, a lot of reassurance medically that everything was healing well and looking normal... And then a sudden break and another surgery! And focused on exploring interception in other areas. The way foods, or pressure, or movement can change the feelings or automatic reactions (like saliva over production) in your mouth.

Or how different textures or vibration can make your hands feel dirty, or tingly, or wet.... Even if they aren't actually wet or you've stopped holding the buzzer.

Plus a bit of crazy car crashing action to select each mystery activity to give control to an understandable nervous-about-physio dude who has absolutely been through the ringer!

21/10/2025

Today's toy is HyperDash. The handle will call out a colour (or from level 3, a number or a mix of numbers or colours) and you need to find and press down on the correct target.

Another great toy where the physical dexterity required is relatively low, but a wide range of ages can enjoy the game.

I've used this...
-- Hand over hand for kids who are working on seated reaching, but might need help with accuracy or to keep a grip on the handle.

-- Laying on a scooter board, on hands and knees or over a roll to work on upper limb strength and core endurance.

-- With targets scattered around the room, and obstacles to navigate to work on motor planning, visual scanning and dual tasking.

-- Up and down stairs to work on balance and strength.

-- Sitting on a wedge or donut to work on sitting posture, trunk strength and control, crossing the midline or reaching out of base of support.

-- With targets spread out like a shuttle run to work on endurance, running stops, starts and turns.

01/10/2025

Wednesday night team dinner and Professional Development. Learning together and enjoying some delicious Vietnamese. . . And fending dogs off from our delicious Vietnamese.

11/09/2025

Fruity Friday Feet with some little gifts to remind us to stop, take a breath and check in for R U OK day this week.

We try and create a space where staff and kids can feel supported and comfortable everyday and our team of furry friends are a big part of that mission.

Thanks to Abby, chief in charge of arranging special little moments to brighten the days

29/08/2025

Photos and videos sent to us by this lovely family. And mum wanted me to share to help celebrate this awesome dude's amazing work today.... And share how much harder than expected the journey is sometimes.

"Thank you again Lucy and Rory and Abby as always so kind.
I could cry with relief that you saw us.
Please post the video and photos
Because even as a nurse I was underprepared for this whole 2 year event. I would like to help others."

So what's the story behind this celebration?

A couple years ago, Ellis had a surgery to help improve positioning of his hips and legs, which involved leaving metalwork in there. After that first surgery, it took a while or him to get use to being able to stand and walk again and trusting his legs. This week he had to get the metalwork out, and by all accounts family were told that it's a quick and easy surgery. He'll be up and about quickly and we had planned for a therapy session next week.
This morning I got a call that his pre-discharge "walk" was more a very quick and traumatic standing transfer, and he didn't really take any weight. And he was very distressed about standing and in a lot of pain. Definitely wasn't going to be up to standing without some sort of equipment to help out.
So, I pushed my plans to complete a heap of paperwork this afternoon (sorry to those I promised would get things today!) and squeezed him in.

While initially he was happy to say hi, and was naming our collection of breath regulation cats and dogs, the fear of standing was so immediately evident once we were in the therapy room. He was actually shivering, face scrunching up and grimacing, flinching the I touched his knees (though, to be fair.... My hands do tend to be icey cold ❄️)

So we took it slow.
First half an hour, staying in her mobility chair. Gradually accepting using his lower limbs to move the balance board that controls computer games, but only while sitting. Gradually changing the position so that he had a bit more weight on the board and was more in perch than sitting.

Continued in comments....

30/07/2025

We stock a small range of body sock products because we use these regularly and know how much lots of our kids love them!
In addition to a small selection of body socks, we now have
Hug-a-shrugs and resistance bands - which are easily portable and easy to use while out and about, at school or in the community or walking around as legs remain free.
Chair Bands - to provide a light foot support and option for bouncy kids to move and get feedback through their feet while staying sitting in a chair.
Capes and Tunnels

22/07/2025

Check out this great initiative to have a Changing Places Space available for community events.

The Mobile Changing Place Facility is back, and is currently located at 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸, 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗕𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗳 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯📍

This facility, which will be 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟯 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗮: 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲-𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀, includes an accessible toilet for people with disability and high support needs. The changing place facility is opened by a Master Locksmith Access Key (MLAK key) 🔑

👉 Need an MLAK key? For more information, visit: https://bit.ly/AccessibleTownsville