As one of NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan’s Centers of Excellence, our Center for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is one of the hospital’s clinical areas selected for focused development and expansion of services. We provide advanced health care to individuals recovering from cardiovascular conditions, spinal cord injuries, multiple trauma, neurological disorders, amputations, fractures, and other illnesses. Patients receive individualized therapy based on comprehensive evaluation and re-evaluations with the goal of improving function and achieving a better quality of life.
The Center’s goal is to help patients overcome a range of physical and emotional challenges to improve function and achieve a better quality of life. We strive to do so in an environment that is both inviting and conducive to healing.
Our multidisciplinary staff provides physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy along with other care providers. We offer services to disabled individuals from newborns to seniors.
Patients at our center have experienced a wide range of conditions, including:
- Stroke
- Arthritis
- Cardiac and pulmonary disorders
- Hand injuries
- Joint replacement
- General de-conditioning due to prolonged bed rest and medical illness
- Orthopedic conditions (surgical and non-surgical)
- Amputations
- Multiple sclerosis
- Musculoskeletal diseases
- Spinal cord injuries
- Sports injuries
In addition, our dedicated services for children include the following conditions:
- Developmental delay
- Speech delay
- Neurological diseases
- Trauma
- Newborn abnormalities
Physical Therapy
Physical therapists work according to each individual’s specific needs. Following the physiatrist’s prescription, a physical therapist reviews the patient’s joint motion, muscle strength, endurance, tone, functional ability, and walking safety and quality. The physical therapist then implements a personalized comprehensive treatment program to address needs identified.
Individualized treatment programs may include the therapeutic use of electrical stimulation, ultrasound, heat, cold, water, compression, exercise, massage, joint mobilization, brace and artificial limb assessment, wheelchair management and propulsion, gait training, and other functional activities.
Occupational Therapy
Following the physiatrist’s prescription, an occupational therapist evaluates how any physical, cognitive, perceptual, or psychosocial difficulties may hamper the patient’s ability to function independently at home, at work, and during leisure activities.
Patients are treated through various activities, which may include self-care education, the use of adaptive equipment, customized brace fabrication, motor-control training, function-based cognitive and perceptual training, and balance and coordination programs. The ultimate goal of occupational therapy intervention is to maximize each patient’s level of function in the home and community.
Speech and Language
The speech-language pathologists on the inpatient rehabilitation unit evaluate, diagnose, and provide treatment for adult and geriatric patients with cognitive, speech, language, and swallowing impairments due to insults to the neurological system.
Therapy includes patient education and training regarding rehabilitative and compensatory strategies to regain functional communication for daily living.
Other Care Providers
Psychologists
Psychology and neuropsychological services are available to help patients and families cope with the unpredictable and sometimes unchangeable aspects of chronic illness and disability.
Rehabilitation psychologists provide care for individuals across the lifespan, including individuals with chronic illness or injuries resulting in physical or cognitive disabilities.
The psychology team routinely assists patients with amputations, spinal cord injuries (SCI), traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and medical illness such as stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic pain conditions.
Social Workers and Vocational Counselors
Our social workers are rooted in the belief that health means more than the absence of illness; it also means physical, mental, and, social well being are an integral part of all aspects of a patient’s experience.
Rehabilitation counselors help patients deal with the personal, social, and vocational effects of disabilities. They counsel individuals with disabilities resulting from birth defects, illness or disease, accidents, or other causes and become a part of the patient recovery process.