Outpatient physical rehabilitation

For individuals needing occupational, physical or speech therapies, our team works together to help restore your functional skills, self-sufficiency and mobility.

To qualify for outpatient therapy services, you must consult with your physician about prescribing you rehabilitation. During your first visit, we can perform an initial evaluation to determine your specific needs and goals. Then, our therapists will help you achieve your best function and recovery in as short a time as possible.

We also offer pediatric rehabilitation services to help children learn, grow and recover, with a dedicated team of pediatric speech-language and physical therapy specialists.

Outpatient physical rehabilitation centers

If you are seeking outpatient therapy, we have two convenient locations in Chatham County. The Outpatient Adult and Pediatric Rehabilitation center is on our main hospital campus. Our other location is Memorial Health Outpatient Adult and Pediatric Rehabilitation - Pooler.

We provide high-quality care to individuals who have had an amputation. In the amputee rehabilitation program, we offer the following services:

• Home exercise exercise plans
• Occupational therapy
• Pain management techniques for both phantom limb and postsurgical pain
• Physical therapy
• Pre-prosthetic training and additional prosthetic training
• Support from other amputees, if desired
• Training in putting on and taking off personal protective equipment (PPE), such as limb protectors, shrinkers and limb socks.
• Wound care education

We also offer referrals to our driving evaluation and retraining program and our vocational rehabilitation services.

We offer the only on-the-road driving evaluation and training program in the Southeast Georgia region. Our program, called Driving Visions, can help you acquire or regain your ability to drive following a disabling injury or illness. Driving Visions provides physicians with the information they need to make decisions about your driving status as you reacclimate to your regular life.

Following an injury to the hand, you may experience a loss of function or dexterity. Our certified hand therapists understand these challenges, and are committed to working with your physician to help you regain maximum hand movement following injury.

If you experience an injury at your workplace, our industrial services program offers you the support you need to return to your position, while also educating your employer about maintaining a safe work environment. Individuals who participate in industrial rehabilitation may experience:

• Chronic pain management techniques
• Education in body mechanics
• Exercise activities to improve overall work tolerance
• Functional capacity evaluations
• Injury prevention education
• Mechanical diagnosis and treatment (MDT)
• Simulation of work activities
• Work hardening and conditioning

Lymphedema occurs when there is an accumulation of protein-rich fluid within your body. The accumulation of fluids causes swelling and most often affects the arms and legs. Our outpatient rehabilitation team includes lymphedema specialists who treat both congenital and acquired lymphedema.

Additionally, lymphedema therapy can be relevant during cancer treatment. Throughout many cancer care journeys, the removal of lymph nodes is required. When lymph nodes are removed or damaged, you are at a higher risk of developing lymphedema. It may appear days, weeks or even years following cancer treatment.

While most people will recover from COVID-19 within a matter of weeks, some people may experience a range of new or continued symptoms that can last for weeks or months. This may include physical or cognitive impairments, and is referred to as "long COVID."

We have the area’s only dedicated long COVID program and, as a result, are uniquely positioned to offer you a comprehensive recovery approach.

Some of the common symptoms addressed by our team include:

• Balance deficits
• Difficulty swallowing
• Difficulty with basic activities of daily living
• Memory impairment
• Muscle weakness
• Poor endurance
• Return-to-work efforts
• Shortness of breath
• Trouble concentrating
• Voice issues related to long-term intubation

Our physical therapists work closely with you to create a care plan that includes long-term and short-term goals for regaining strength and independence. PT services we offer include:

• Balance and fall prevention
• Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation
• Dry needling
• Functional and safety training
• Gait evaluation and training
• Joint mobilization
• Myofascial treatment
• Neuromuscular rehabilitation
• Orthopedic treatment
• Pain management
• Spinal cord rehabilitation
• Stroke recovery
• Total joint rehabilitation
• Traumatic brain injury recovery
• Trigger point therapy

Our occupational therapists are committed to helping you improve or maintain the everyday skills you need to function at home, at work and in social settings. Occupational therapists who participate in our rehabilitation program work with you and your family to define therapy goals and achieve maximum independence.

Occupational therapy may include:

• Activities to increase joint range
• Adaptive equipment and orthotics
• Cognitive and perceptual retraining
• Coordinated programs to help improve posture, balance and functional skills
• Custom splinting
• Detailed sensory evaluations and training
• Driving evaluation
• Exercises to increase strength and reinforce desired movement
• Memory, motor planning and visual-spatial skills development
• Self-care training, including basic feeding, hygiene, dressing and safety awareness)

If you have experienced a serious injury, stroke or oral cancer, our team of speech-language therapists can provide a variety of services to assist with speech and swallowing complications. These services may include:

• Cognitive retraining
• Laryngectomy care
• Language therapy
• Lee Silverman voice treatment (LSVT) speech therapy
• Voice therapy for chronic hoarseness, vocal nodules, vocal polyps or other types of abnormal voice problems

At our hospital, if you are seeking treatment for a sports-related or orthopedic injury, you gain access to a dedicated team of sports medicine team members, including certified athletic trainers, sports physical therapists and orthopedic specialists. Our program emphasizes education, wellness and accelerated rehabilitation designed to get athletes back into action as quickly and safely as possible.

The sports medicine services we offer include:

• Sports injury assessment and evaluation
• Sports injury prevention
• Sports medicine education
• Wellness promotion

Our pelvic floor therapists offer comprehensive treatment for women and men with pelvic floor disfunction. We work to strengthen and retrain the muscles of your pelvic floor to build your muscular control and reduce discomfort.

We provide evaluation and treatment for individuals experiencing vertigo and other balance problems. Therapy is aimed at repairing the vestibular system and helping you adapt to hearing dysfunction or loss. Our therapists will work with you to help decrease dizziness, improve balance, improve visual-vestibular interaction and increase activity levels.