Physical therapy and rehabilitation

When it comes to physical therapy and rehabilitation, everyone has their own unique needs and abilities. Our hospitals offer inpatient and outpatient programs, depending on your needs and the severity of your condition.

Your doctor may decide you need one or more of the following types of therapy:

Physical therapy

Physical therapy protects, strengthens and restores muscle and motor function that has been damaged as a result of an injury, disease or disability.

Physical therapy treatments may include:

• Exercise instruction
• Gait training
• Manual therapy techniques
• Medical device instruction
• Pain management therapy
• Patient education

Occupational therapy

Occupational therapists help you relearn or improve function related to daily activities, including bathing, dressing, eating and cooking.

The goals of occupational therapy are to:

• Conserve energy
• Improve gross and fine motor skills
• Learn to manage assistive devices, including splints and prostheses
• Regain physical independence
• Strengthen upper extremities

Speech therapy

Our speech therapists diagnose, treat and help prevent disorders related to speech, language, cognitive communication, voice and swallowing. Certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), our speech-language pathologists treat people of all ages.

Speech therapy may help if communication and language skills have been impacted by an injury, surgery or neuromuscular diagnosis, or if the skills have not developed properly.

Speech-language therapy addresses:

• Aphasia
• Cognition and memory
• Facial weakness
• Swallowing
• Voice

Our therapists and staff work together to provide several other specialized rehabilitation programs.

Balance and vestibular (inner ear) therapy

We provide balance assessments and retraining to help you manage the symptoms of inner ear disorders. Symptoms may include dizziness and muscle coordination problems.

Cancer rehabilitation

Our experienced therapists help you if you are recovering from cancer treatment or surgery. Cancer rehabilitation may include nutrition counseling, exercises and speech therapy.

Cardiac rehabilitation

The goal of our cardiovascular rehabilitation programs is to help you return to your regular activities after having a heart attack, heart surgery or another cardiac condition or event. If you participate in this program, you'll learn how to lead a heart-healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of future heart problems.

Driving program

The driving program at Johnston-Willis Hospital is designed to teach safe driving skills to teens, older adults and people with disabilities. We offer in-depth evaluations, and our registered occupational therapists use their expertise and patience to help you learn how to drive on your own.

Lymphedema therapy programs

Lymphedema occurs when lymph fluid builds up in the arms or legs, causing swelling in the limbs. This is common after cancer surgery or biopsies. Many of our hospitals offer lymphedema treatment and management as part of their oncology services. These programs allow our specialists to provide complete cancer care, from diagnosis through recovery.

Neurological rehabilitation

We offer neurological rehabilitation, sometimes called neurorehabilitation, as part of our comprehensive neurological care services. Neurological rehabilitation helps recover function and strength that has been impacted by spinal cord injuries, neuromuscular diseases, strokes, brain injuries and other neurological conditions.

Depending on your diagnosis, your care may be provided by therapists who specialize in neurological or orthopedic rehabilitation.

As part of our neurorehabilitation services, our therapists help with:

• Balance and gait training
• Strength and endurance training
• General mobility
• Home safety assessments
• Equipment evaluations
• Fall prevention
• Use of orthotics and prostheses

Orthopedic rehabilitation

Your doctor may recommend orthopedic rehabilitation after joint replacement surgery, an injury or a broken bone. Additionally, orthopedic rehabilitation can help treat neck, back and joint pain as well as strains and sprains.

To provide full orthopedic care, we create a treatment plan tailored to your specific condition and needs. Depending on your condition, you may receive treatment from our orthopedic and neurological rehabilitation specialists.

Pediatric rehabilitation

Our therapists have experience working with children of all ages and abilities. If your child has an injury or disability, we may recommend physical, occupational and speech therapy. This can help them improve strength, motor skills, abilities and independence.

Pulmonary rehabilitation

Pulmonary rehabilitation helps you improve your lung health and manage symptoms of respiratory diseases, such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema or asthma.

Our pulmonary rehabilitation programs include:

• Breathing retraining
• Education on conserving energy and controlling infection
• Exercise training
• Medication management
• Nutritional counseling
• Oxygen therapy

Sports injury rehabilitation

Our full-service sports medicine programs offer sports rehabilitation to help athletes recover from surgeries and injuries. To help with recovery, we have an outdoor assessment field that simulates game conditions for individual sports.

Our programs feature:

• Advanced rehabilitation facilities
• Comprehensive physical therapy services
• Sport-specific, therapy and performance, one-on-one evaluation and training
• Opportunities to participate in advanced research studies
• Post-rehabilitation and athletic development programs

Work-related injury rehabilitation

Through our occupational medicine programs, we can help you return to work as quickly and safely as possible following a work-related injury. Our programs emphasize early medical intervention, objective documentation and timely communication with your employer.

Wound healing programs

We offer comprehensive wound healing services. These may sometimes involve the assistance of a physical therapist. The physical therapist will evaluate the wound, clean it, remove dead or damaged tissue and apply dressings to the affected area. Additionally, they can administer certain therapy treatments to promote wound healing.

Our rehabilitation teams are led by physiatrists who develop your rehabilitative care plan and work with our other staff members to complete your treatment.

Your care will be provided by highly skilled physical, speech and occupational therapists as well as other professionals with training in condition-specific therapies.

Our rehabilitation teams include:

• Case managers
• Certified rehabilitation nurses
• Dietitians
• Medical psychologists
• Occupational therapists
• Pastoral care chaplains
• Physiatrists
• Physical therapists
• Social workers
• Speech-language therapists
• Therapeutic recreation specialists