Exercise Physiology

Exercise Physiologists are university-qualified allied health professionals who prescribe and deliver evidence-based exercise interventions to people with a range of different conditions such as disabilities, chronic health conditions and developmental disorders. Exercise Physiologists create exercise programs that optimise and facilitate health, function, quality of life and independence to help people participate in activities at home and in the community.

At Mighty Kids, our exercise physiologist works with children and their families to reach their goals in a fun, play-based environment. An exercise physiologist can help your child to develop their gross motor skills such as balance, coordination, strength, endurance, ball skills and bike riding. 

Reasons you may see an exercise physiologist:

  • Developmental or gross motor delays

  • Improving strength or endurance

  • Managing weight

  • Sports and ball skill development

  • Learning to ride a bike

Common conditions we see:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Global Developmental Delay

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

  • Neurological conditions

  • Sensory Processing Disorders

  • Developmental Coordination Disorder

  • Cerebral Palsy

What is the difference between a Physiotherapist and an Exercise Physiologist?

Exercise physiologists specialise in prescribing and delivering exercise programs that aim to improve a child’s gross motor development, including motor planning, balance, coordination and ball skills. Physiotherapists are able to deliver exercise programs, provide manual therapy and can prescribe orthoses and equipment for your child to better support their needs.

At Mighty Kids, we are lucky to have both physiotherapists and exercise physiologists working together to get the best possible outcome for every child. 

Functional Therapy

Functional therapy focuses on enhancing a child’s ability to perform meaningful and functional activities in their daily life.

This type of intervention targets specific motor challenges and aims to improve mobility, strength, coordination and overall physical function.

Functional therapy takes into account the child’s individual needs, goals and developmental stage through a combination of exercises, stretches and adaptive techniques.

Whole Body Vibrational Therapy

Whole body vibration has been found to improve strength, reduce spasticity, improve bone mineral density and have positive effects on motor skills, gait and mobility.

At Mighty Kids we use the Hypervibe to ‘shake it off’ and have lots of fun! The Hypervibe uses a pivotal platform which mimics the natural rotation of the hips during gait. This generates more muscle stimulation and reduces vibration to the head.

At higher frequencies, the Hypervibe activates the stretch reflex which is an automatic response for our brain to switch our muscles on instead of it being a conscious process. We love our ‘shakey plate’ and use it for kids of all ages and abilities.

Reformer Pilates

The Pilates Reformer machine is an excellent tool to help promote strength, flexibility, posture and coordination, as well as increase sensory and vestibular input.

At Mighty Kids we have a highly adjustable reformer machine that can be tailored to suit children from 3 years old right up into adulthood. We can use this machine to target specific muscle groups or it can be used for a full body workout. It has varying resistance settings so we can adjust to suit your child’s needs.

We often use this machine during our intensive therapy blocks to work on building strength for a specific functional task. We also love to use it for practicing jumping and hopping skills as these can be performed while lying down and therefore with gravity eliminated!