Teaneck—The Therapy Gym, a local center for children-oriented physical and occupational therapy of all sorts, added speech therapy to their list of offerings last month. The gym, which is coming up on its second anniversary, is co-owned by Elisheva Fuchs and Bret Rickard.

“The main goal is to make sense of your environment in order to able to function in it,” Rickard said.

Fuchs, a physical therapist, and Rickard, a physical therapy assistant, work alongside two occupational therapists, two speech therapists, a nutritionist, a personal trainer and a number of teachers for the classes they offer in areas like baby massage and yoga.

Contrary to popular notions about physical therapy as being a post-injury rehabilitation process, in pediatrics it involves assisting children in developmental processes.

“Kids are resilient so they don’t necessarily go for physical therapy after an injury,” Fuchs said.

Pediatric physical therapy deals not with injuries, but rather with physically functioning at an appropriate level in spite of diagnoses like torticollis, down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular disorders, neurodevelopmental delays and a variety of other potential areas. The gym treats these areas using neurodevelopmental training, sensory processing and integration, balance and coordination activities and motion/gait/postural training.

Torticollis, a spasming of the neck in babies, is common among one-two month old babies who visit The Therapy Gym. One success story involved helping a baby with an undiagnosed chromosomal disorder in learning how to sit up.

Another type of therapy offered is sensory integration therapy. Some children are tactilely defensive and may not walk on certain surfaces or eat certain foods because they don’t like how it feels. They can also be sensitive to sounds like vacuuming noises or the sound of a toilet flushing. Therapy for this involves desensitization and training in how to better process the senses.

In addition to therapy there are classes like Mommy and Me, infant massage pre-sports skills, yoga for kids, sports skills, nutrition and personal training.

“We’re trying to be proactive so that kids can get exposed to gross motor action and sensory play. The idea is that perhaps a child who may have needed therapy won’t because they came in to take these classes,” Fuchs said.

The Therapy Gym, located on West Englewood Avenue in Teaneck, has a gym, sensory room and two types of private treatment rooms. The facility utilizes all the latest treatment methods and tools in every area and works toward rehabilitation, skill development and wellness of children 0-21 years of age.

“Any therapy requires follow through at home,” Rickard said. “That’s especially the case when we’re working with little kids. We like to have the parents present so they can see what to work on at home,” Fuchs added.

Fuchs’ interest in physical therapy came from experience as a child and a desire to help people. She has a doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Both Fuchs and her partner also have business backgrounds.

By Aliza Chasan