What is Rehabilitation? Perhaps you are looking for assistance in the recovery from an injury or a stroke or perhaps you are faced with a debilitating disease. Rehabilitation focuses on restoring maximum function and quality of life regardless of the injury or disease.
Rehabilitation assists people who have experienced catastrophic events resulting in paraplegia, quadriplegia, or traumatic brain injury; and individuals who have had strokes, orthopedic injuries, arthritis, cancer, low back pain, sports-related injuries or neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, polio, or ALS.
The area of medicine specializing in treating these types of problems is called Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, or PM & R. Physicians who go into this specialty are called Physiatrists. Kitsap County is fortunate to have three practicing Physiatrists in the area.
The professional rehabilitation team consists of occupational, physical and speech therapists that each specialize in a different portion of the recovery process.
Occupational therapists focus on achieving the highest level of function in performing activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, and grooming. They also assist people in returning to the community and returning to work.
Physical therapists focus on restoring muscle strength, coordination, balance and walking skills. Speech-language pathologists work to improve communication skills and cognitive abilities following brain trauma or neurological disease, and often times treat individuals with swallowing impairments associated with injury or disease.
Rehabilitation programs are prescribed by a physician and designed to meet the individual needs of each patient. Rehabilitation programs may involve a short stay in a hospital or skilled nursing facility or be completed on an outpatient basis.
Outpatient rehabilitation clinics are located throughout Kitsap County. Many therapists and clinics offer specialty services in areas such as hand therapy, vestibular or balance disorders, sports injuries, head or spinal cord injuries, arthritis, cardiac rehab or orthopedics, so it is important to discuss your individual needs with your physician to determine the best approach for your care.
One option in Kitsap County is Northwoods Lodge located in Silverdale. The facility provides a continuum of services for individuals needing a short, in-patient rehabilitation stay following a stroke, cardiac surgery, orthopedic surgery or a general debilitating illness. In addition to in-patient rehabilitation,
Northwoods offers outpatient therapy services and specializes in stroke and cardiac rehab, low vision therapy, Multiple Sclerosis, Arthritis, spinal cord injuries, vestibular/balance rehab, wheelchair seating and mobility training.
