Acute inpatient treatment by neuroscience specialists for a debilitating
disease like stroke, head bleed, or traumatic brain injury is only half
the battle. Studies have shown there is a crucial period after hospitalization
where aggressive physical therapy and rehabilitation can make the difference
between living with permanent deficits or recovering function.
While not every patient can fully recover from a disabling injury, the
goal of the West Jefferson Rehabilitation Center at the LCMC Health Neuroscience
Institute is to give each person the best, state-of-the-art, evidence-based
care to maximize their potential for improvement.
“It sounded like going to boot camp, but it meant being able to move
myself instead of being moved…”
Our physical medicine and rehabilitation team helps patients disabled from
brain and spine injury through targeted inpatient rehabilitation therapy;
typically three hours per day, five days per week. Our goal is to improve
physical function and facilitate a safe transition home through intense
therapy that will make patients stronger, safer, and improve overall endurance.
We are the only Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities
(CARF) accredited inpatient rehabilitation program on the West Bank specializing
in general rehab, stroke, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, amputation,
cardiac and respiratory conditions. We are also the only rehabilitation
program to offer intrathecal baclofen and intramuscular botulinum toxin
(Botox) spasticity treatment for abnormal muscle tightness from prolonged
muscle contractions frequently experienced in brain, spinal cord, and
neurological conditions.
In addition to care for patients at our facility, our rehab specialists
may help assess your home to see if it’s safe and accessible for
you. They will determine whether you will be able to easily navigate around
your home, if safety improvements are necessary, and if you need special
devices and equipment to make your day-to-day activities more effortless.
Our rehab team will assist in arranging help from family, friends, or
care providers to aid with your day-to-day needs. We will also educate
your care providers about how to safely meet your mobility and healthcare
needs at home.
When patients choose the West Jefferson Rehabilitation Center at the LCMC
Health Neuroscience Institute, all services and healthcare providers are
immediately available to optimize recovery. Any imaging, testing, or laboratory
studies fall under one roof, which means you’ll never be transferred
out to another hospital for these services. We are deeply proud of our
outstanding, committed staff who go above and beyond to make sure every
patient gets the rehab they need, even when that means after-hours care,
or working with your insurance company to find the most cost-effective
treatment options for your situation.
Our comprehensive team approach includes rehabilitation doctors (known
as physiatrists), physical Therapists (PT), occupational therapists (OT),
speech therapists (ST), rehabilitation nurses, and social workers. In
addition to rehabilitation therapy, we also provide equipment evaluation
to make everyday activities easier and safer. We also provide home evaluation
and family training to facilitate a safe and successful transition to
daily living.
“I knew people who recovered from stroke, but also knew people who
were completely dependent…”
Stroke can be an overwhelming occurrence for both a patient and their family.
Most commonly, strokes occur due to a blockage in the vessels providing
blood flow to the brain. Strokes can also be due to damaged vessels bleeding
into the brain, which is less frequent but equally devastating. While
medicine has become better at detecting and treating stroke, it remains
an injury that can be life changing.
Vascular neurologists (specialty-trained stroke doctors) recognize that
dedicated, inpatient rehabilitation is as important as the acute management
of stroke in a patient’s recovery from significant stroke.
“After the accident, I worried about being able to do anything at
all…”
Your spinal cord runs from your brain down to your lower back. Your brain
sends messages out to your body through your spinal cord telling your
body to pick up a cup, or walk to the mailbox. Messages travel from your
arms, legs, and the rest of your body back to your brain through your
spinal cord which convey sensations of touch, temperature, or pain.
A spinal cord injury can prevent your brain and body from communicating
normally. If you’ve had a spinal cord injury, you may need surgery
or other treatments to help stabilize your spinal injury.
After a spinal injury and stabilization, you may be at risk for complications,
including:
Pressure injuries
Breathing problems and pneumonia
A drop in blood pressure when you move around
Muscle weakness
Muscle spasms
Blood clots
Pain
Bowel and bladder problems
Reproductive and sexual function problems
Depression and/or anxiety
Rehabilitation can help to improve these complications, as well as regain
function that the injury took away. The tasks you will work on in rehabilitation
depend on the type of injury that occurred. You may need to re-learn things
such as how to control your body, use a wheelchair/walker, or work around
functional deficits.
Your rehabilitation care team will discuss what to expect in short-term
and long-term recovery. Your individual results will depend on the type
and severity of the injury, and what strength you have below the injured
spinal cord level. While in rehab, your providers may help you with tasks, such as:
Moving around
Depending on your injury, you may be able to walk with a cane, walker,
braces, or you may require a wheelchair. You will learn to best use these
mobility devices.
Dealing with complications
If your injury caused many changes in the way your body works, your rehab
providers will teach you how to prevent and treat complications. You may
need a specialist to treat complications if your bowel and bladder function
is not normal.
Doing things in a different way
Your providers may teach you how to get in and out of a car, roll over
in bed, bathe, and do other daily activities that allow you to be more
independent.
Individual therapists may work with you on specific tasks, including activities
of daily living like eating, dressing, and grooming, while occupational
therapy may help you with homemaking, caretaking, and/or job-related functions.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when a sudden injury such as blunt
trauma from an accident causes damage to your brain. TBI can occur due
to direct injury to the brain from damage to the skull, known as penetrating
head injury, or due to an injury causing the brain to impact the sides
of the skull without injury to the bone, known as a closed head injury.
Both can be serious and life-altering injuries, making both immediate
in-hospital management and rehabilitation care crucial to optimize recovery.
Our rehabilitation team includes multiple certified brain injury specialists
who focus on the following goals:
Improving your ability to function at home and in your community
Helping treat the mental and physical problems caused by TBI
Providing social and emotional support
Helping you adapt to changes as they occur during your recovery
Promoting lifestyle changes to reduce future risk of TBI
Providing assistive technology where applicable
While many consider rehabilitation as focusing on correcting what has been
lost in terms of function, specialty care can take many forms depending
on your needs. It might include physical, occupational, and speech therapy,
as well as psychiatric care and social support. In many cases, our rehabilitation
team also aids in community reintegration and participation in life roles.
All these are designed to help you recover from the effects of your injury
as much as possible.
Symptoms that may occur after TBI which we address as part of your recovery include:
Headaches
Dizziness and/or confusion
Convulsions
Loss of coordination
Slurred speech
Poor concentration and/or memory problems
Personality changes
Weakness in muscles
Your rehab specialists may help assess your home to see if it’s safe
and accessible for you. They will determine whether you will be able to
easily navigate around your home, or if safety improvements are necessary.
You may need special devices and equipment around your home to make your
day-to-day activities as simple as they were prior to your injury. Your
rehab team will also assist you in arranging help from family, friends,
or care providers to help you with your day-to-day needs. They will also
educate your care providers about how to safely meet your mobility and
healthcare needs at home.
Every person’s needs and abilities after TBI are different. You will
have a rehab program designed especially for you. Your program is likely
to involve many types of healthcare providers. It’s important to
have one central person you can talk to. This person is often called your
case coordinator or case manager. This person will help coordinate your
care and work with you and your family on the type of available rehab
programs and the rehab coverage offered by your health insurance company.
Over time, your program will likely change as your needs and abilities
change. Your individual program may include any or all these treatments:
Physical therapy
Physical medicine
Occupational therapy
Psychiatric care
Psychological care
Speech and language therapy
Social support
How long your rehab lasts and how much follow-up care you will need afterwards
depends on how severe your brain damage was and how well you respond to
therapy. Some people may be able to return to the same level of ability
they had before TBI. Others need lifetime care. Some people are helped
by vocational rehab. This helps them learn new skills with the goal of
employment.
Some long-term effects of TBI can show up years later. You may be at higher
risk long-term for problems such as Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease,
and other forms of dementia.
After rehab you may be given these instructions:
Symptoms and signs that you should call your healthcare provider about
