Everyone deserves the best treatment. We treat you as we would want to be treated and want you to feel like part of our family.

                           Anyone who has a diagnosis of:

Head Injury Stroke Spinal Cord Injury Multiple Sclerosis Cerebral Palsy Movement Control Problems

Balance Disorders Cerebellar Ataxia Spina Bifida Nerve Damage Speech / Swallowing Difficulties Other Neurological Problems

Patients who have neurological problems and have difficulty moving, speaking or swallowing need a different kind of therapy. In neurological therapy, an individualized treatment plan is established for each patient after an in-depth evaluation of the patient's needs and goals. To maximize progress, patients receive individualized treatment by the same therapist and are seen in a quiet setting, one at a time by the same therapist for their entire treatment session. Under the guidance of the physical, occupational, or speech therapist, patients are taught specific control programs which they practice in therapy and at home. Home programs are reinforced for accuracy by videotapes, photos and written programs. It is ideal and effective when a family member can attend sessions to be trained along with the patient to help ensure accurate home practice. Because the patient is actively controlling progress, the patient is seen for fewer weekly sessions but with continuity over a longer period of time.

Occupational Therapy / Vision Therapy

Doesn't Occupational Therapy mean help in getting jobs?"

"Occupational Therapists only work with arms."
These are only two of the misconceptions about Occupational Therapy (O.T.)

Did you know that Occupational Therapists work with visual motor perception? This is how we take in what we see, understand it, and use it to guide our actions and decisions. When we drive a car, we are using visual motor perception very rapidly to guide and fine tune our driving so that even at 50 mph we are able to scan and judge distances, perceive cars moving up on our right or left sides and make adjustments, or stop quickly when the other car stops or changes direction. After a head injury or stroke, some part of the visual field may be missing, or the eyes may not scan together or quickly. When this happens, we miss part of the information we need to adjust our actions quickly. In Occupational Therapy, clients learn how to scan for all of the important information, the subtle differences in shape, color, and dimension and how to use strategies to make sure vital information is seen, understood and used effectively.

Occupational Therapy: learning the skills for the job of living.

A licensed therapist is qualified if they have in-depth training and knowledge in neurological disorders and diseases which interfere with movement. The setting is very important, too, because individual attention in quiet rooms where learning can occur is essential to progress. Therapists who specialize in treating neurological problems often have several years of experience working specifically with neurological patients.

If you think that you or a family member can benefit from therapy specifically for neurological problems, talk to your doctor or primary care physician. A screening can be done without a prescription, but a referral is needed for therapy treatment.

Other Specialized Treatment Approaches
Have you had a stroke, spinal cord injury or head injury in the last year, or the last 3-10 years?
Have you been told that there is nothing more that can be done to help you or your family member?

There are many new and effective treatments based on the most up to date research and technology available for adults with the above neurological disorders, as well as feeding, swallowing and speech problems, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, ataxia, vestibular/balance disorders,  muscular dystrophy, and other nervous system problems.

Electromyographic (EMG) Biofeedback

One of these treatments is the use of Electromyographic (EMG) Biofeedback. Usually, we are not aware of how our muscles contract while we are moving, breathing, walking or talking. We do not think about being able to control these activities and it is important that we do not pay attention to every little movement because this would distract us from more important things like thinking and driving. However, when we have trouble making our muscles work after a head injury or stroke or with cerebral palsy, it is very helpful to "see" the activity of these muscles so we can learn how to control that activity. This is exactly what our NeuroEducator II system does. Along with the help of our trained therapists, you learn to use this feedback to control movements, for example, which allow you to reach with an arm, walk, move facial muscles, etc.
 

Partial Weight Bearing Gait Therapy

Lite Gait Trainer partial weight bearing device combined with the NeuroEducator II EMG Biofeedback unit. Partial Weightbearing Gait Therapy is a very effective treatment by itself or combined with EMG Biofeedback. We use this technique to help our adult patients learn how to activate their muscles at the correct time and with the proper force during walking. Patients can increase walking speed and control by using this treatment.

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