Rehabilitation means many different things to different people. In general, it is the  idea of becoming better, stronger and healthier. While the term “rehab” may immediately conjure up your own thoughts of undergoing therapy, there is whole realm of medical science dedicated to helping people return to health after injury, surgery and medical conditions.

The best part about rehabilitation in many medical specialty areas today is that person’s outcome from treatment  may be enhanced due to more advanced and less invasive approaches to treatment. These medical advancements may also allow individuals to return to functional activities more quickly when compared to decades past.    While traditionally we’ve believed that recovery from a medical condition, injury and surgery means a person receiving treatment  is flat on his/her back in bed for weeks, studies have demonstrated that rehabilitation within a day or two of surgery or injury may offer a significant enhancement in healing and recovery, depending upon the medical condition.

Rehab Forums: In essence, there are a wide variety of rehabilitation areas that may focus on physical, psychological, emotional, and social well-being.

Rehab may combine mental and physical coaching; cognitive or behavioral retraining; physical/occupational/speech therapy, holistic therapies, and the development of compensation skills to enhance quality of life.  In our forums, we will be profiling specific areas of rehabilitation in coming months. So, we invite you to stay tuned into our upcoming forums.

Natural Treatments for Alcohol and Drug Addiction

Selecting Your Rehab Therapist, Team or Center

Rehabilitation therapists typically work in conjunction with a physician, surgeon, and other medical team specialists to create a well-rounded program designed to enhance recovery.  There are rehabilitation centers that offer more than one type of rehabilitation on an in-patient and/or outpatient basis. There are rehab therapists that may work directly for medical specialists, such as, an orthopedic surgeon. There are also rehab therapists that work for companies that offer in home nursing and caregiver services.  Some of the more common rehabilitation areas include:

• Cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation. Getting people up and moving again after any kind of surgery procedure shortens recovery time and allows the body to eliminate extra fluids, secretions, and the effects of general anesthesia.

• Geriatric rehabilitation. This area involves working with people affected by cancer, incontinence, osteoporosis, stroke, Alzheimer’s Disease, balancing problems, arthritis, or recovering from hip or joint replacement.

• Orthopedic rehabilitation. This is the musculoskeletal and broken bone zone. A physical therapist, often in an outpatient clinic, helps people recovering from surgery or the setting and casting of broken bones from everyday or sports-related injuries. Ankle sprains, neck pain, spinal issues, amputations, and post-surgery mobility issues may be receive therapy here.

• Pediatric rehabilitation. Here, physical therapists treat not only childhood injuries or diseases, but also congenital conditions, developmental delay problems, acquired disorders and disabilities of infants through teenagers, including cerebral palsy and spinal bifida.

• Neurological rehabilitation. Physical therapists, occupational therapists, cognitive therapists and/or speech therapists  intervene to treat people for a litany of neurological diseases and disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, brain and spinal cord injury, and stroke.

• Women’s health. This area particularly assists women following childbirth who are dealing with pelvic pain and other post-partum issues, plus osteoporosis, lymphedema, and incontinence.

• Integumentary. If you haven’t heard of this word before, you are not alone. It deals with skin and organs in, around, and affected by the skin. What is commonly treated is burns and wounds.

Keep On the Look Out for The Latest In:

 

Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation, What Do You Need to Know?

Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Rehabilitation

Advantages of  Physical therapy, Occupational Therapist and Speech Therapy

Advantages in Closed Head Injury Rehab

 

 

What About Insurance?

Great question. It’s always smart to always consult your medical insurance carrier to make sure that rehabilitation treatment facilities and actual care are covered. You may choose to pay out of pocket for  additional services and this may be worthwhile in select situations when weighing the benefits of a more functional lifestyle compared to a more impaired one. Select medical conditions may be less likely to fully recover from. For this reason, you want wish to investigate long term care policies to assist with daily living skills should the need arise.

It is important to recognize that all information contained on this website cannot be considered to be specific medical diagnosis, medical treatment, or medical advice. As always, you should consult with a physician regarding any medical condition. Your Health Access disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information.