CUTV News Radio spotlights Brenda Walker of Walker Physical Therapy

Bronx, NY – When we think of physical therapy, we typically think of recovery and rehabilitation from injury, but that only represents one model.

Brenda Walker of Walker Physical Therapy is an independent provider of specialized pediatric physical therapy. Since 1969, Walker has worked with children struggling with a variety of issues, from brain tumors and Down’s Syndrome to autism and even premature newborns.

“With the children, it’s not just about their bodies, it’s also their minds,” says Walker. “You’re dealing with just the child and their body and their mind in school and at home.”

Walker says if you were to look at the children she works with, you wouldn’t necessarily know they need physical therapy. But within one 45-minute session, you would be able to observe that they’re not keeping up with their classmates.

“All children are on the developmental scale,” explains Walker. “There is a natural course of development: we crawl, we stand, we walk, we run. All these children want to do is eat and play and discover the world. They’re just not on the same track as their peers. I have to make sure the child is on track, no matter what their challenges are.”

When a child can go out and be competitive with children a year later, that’s when Brenda knows she’s succeeded.

“If you can normalize them to their development, that’s progress and that’s success,” says Walker, “But it starts with knowing how to relate to children on their level. Otherwise you’re not going to reach them. You have to get down on the floor and sit in their little chairs and bring toys that make noise and sing. You have to be animated. And I am!”

For more information on Walker Physical Therapy, call (917) 922-5087.