Gross motor delay
0–3 yrsNot rolling, sitting, crawling or walking near the expected window. Assessment is observational, which video suits — I watch your child move in their own home rather than in a strange room.
For Indian families in the UAE
Paediatric physiotherapy for Indian families in the UAE
Dr. Jyoti Bajpai (MPT, NIRTAR) has focused on paediatric physiotherapy since 2020. Consult by video from Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah, in your own language. ₹1,999 per 45-minute session.
Where we fit
Alongside Private paediatric therapy and school support, not instead of it
For expatriate families in the UAE there is no universal public early-intervention entitlement of the kind the UK or US operate. Paediatric therapy is largely private, and whether your insurance covers it — and how many sessions — varies considerably between policies.
Cost and continuity are the two issues Indian families in the Gulf raise most: private paediatric sessions add up quickly, and plans get interrupted by long summer trips back to India.
What this actually gives you
Your child’s plan survives the India trip
Long summers in India usually mean the therapy plan stops. Ours does not — the same physiotherapist continues whether your child is in Dubai or at your parents’ home in India.
Predictable cost, no policy roulette
Private paediatric therapy in the UAE is expensive and coverage varies sharply by policy. ₹1,999 (about AED 88) per session is the same every time, regardless of what your insurer decides.
Familiar clinical language
Many Indian families in the Gulf find explanations easier in Hindi, Malayalam or Tamil. Sessions run in the language the family thinks in.
How a paediatric session runs
It is not an adult appointment with a smaller patient. The model is different, and it is the part that makes video work for children.
You and your child, at home
I watch your child move on their own floor with their own toys. For a young child that is more representative than a clinic room, not less.
I coach you, not just them
Between sessions the therapy is delivered by you. Most of the call is teaching you the handling, the positions and what "good" looks like.
A written plan within 24 hours
Exercises, dosage, what to watch for, and what to escalate. Shareable with your local team so nobody is working blind.
Reviewed as they change
Children change quickly and outgrow a programme fast. We progress it rather than leaving you repeating month-old exercises.
What I treat in children
If your child’s concern is not on this list, ask. The free call exists partly so nobody pays for a session that was never going to be the right thing.
Torticollis and head-shape asymmetry
0–12 mthsA baby who consistently turns or tilts to one side. Handling, positioning and tummy-time coaching for parents, with progress tracked on photographs between sessions.
Toe walking
2–8 yrsPersistent walking on tiptoes past the age it usually settles. We separate habitual toe walking from a tight calf or a neurological cause, and refer where that is what is needed.
Flat feet and in-toeing
3–10 yrsVery often normal variation that needs reassurance rather than treatment. Where it does need work, it is foot and hip strengthening — not expensive insoles by default.
Hypermobility
5–16 yrsBendy joints, frequent aches, tiring quickly, poor handwriting endurance. Strength and joint-control work, paced so it does not flare.
Cerebral palsy — home programme
All agesNot a replacement for the local therapy team. A structured home programme and parent coaching for the days between their appointments, which is where most of the hours actually are.
Developmental coordination disorder
5–14 yrsThe child described as clumsy — struggles with cycling, catching, buttons, PE. Task-specific practice broken into steps a parent can run daily.
Adolescent scoliosis
10–18 yrsSchroth-based three-dimensional corrective exercise and breathing retraining, alongside whatever monitoring or bracing the local orthopaedic team has advised.
Osgood-Schlatter and growth-plate pain
10–16 yrsKnee pain in a sporty teenager during a growth spurt. Load management that keeps them playing where possible, rather than a blanket ban on sport.
Screen posture and back pain
8–18 yrsNeck and back pain in children doing long screen hours. Assessed against their actual desk, at home, over video.
When to see a doctor first, not a physiotherapist
Online physiotherapy is not emergency care and it is not a substitute for your child’s paediatrician or local medical team. If any of the following apply, get your child seen locally before booking anything with me:
- Loss of a skill your child previously had — walking, talking, using a hand
- Pain that wakes your child at night, or pain with fever
- A joint that is hot, swollen or that they refuse to move or bear weight on
- Sudden change in walking, or a limp with no injury behind it
- Weakness on one side of the body, or a marked difference between the two sides
- Any concern about your child being unwell rather than simply stiff or sore
Questions parents ask
We already see a private therapist in Dubai. Why add this?
Usually for frequency and for continuity. Private sessions are costly enough that most families space them out, and the home programme in between is what determines progress. We also carry on when you travel, which local clinics obviously cannot.
Will our UAE insurance reimburse an Indian online consultation?
Generally not, and you should assume not. We issue an itemised invoice if you want to try, but Indian telemedicine is rarely a covered benefit on UAE policies. The flat ₹1,999 fee is priced on the assumption you are paying it yourself.
Can you see our child while we are visiting India in the summer?
Yes, and this is one of the more useful things about it. The plan continues without a two-month break, and if you want an in-person assessment while you are in India, that can be arranged around the trip.
How do the time zones work from the Gulf?
The UAE is only an hour and a half behind India, so almost every slot works — including after-school times, which matters more with children than it does with adults.
Our son has flat feet and a clinic recommended custom insoles. Is that necessary?
Often it is not. Flexible flat feet in a child with no pain and normal function are usually a normal variant that needs reassurance, not orthotics. Where there is pain, stiffness or a functional problem, treatment is warranted — but that assessment should come before anyone sells you insoles. That is a reasonable thing to get a second opinion on.
Start with the free 15-minute call
Describe what you are seeing in your child. If online physiotherapy is the wrong answer for them, I will say so on that call rather than after you have paid for a session.