Physical therapy and rehabilitation

Physical therapy (PT)

PT focuses on training and movement to assist with restoration of function and independence, including:

• Balance and neuromuscular re-education
• Functional mobility training
• Gait/assistive device training
• Pain management
• Seating/positioning
• Therapeutic exercise to improve strength and range of motion
• Tone management

Aquatic rehabilitation

The West Florida Aquatic Program offers physical therapy in a warm water setting for patients with conditions such as:

• Arthritis
• Fibromyalgia
• Orthopedic injury
• Neurological disease
• Spinal injury
• Stroke

The therapist will perform a comprehensive evaluation and design a treatment plan depending on your needs. This includes individualized exercises and instruction in a pool program and/or progression to land-based physical therapy.

Individuals with open wounds, continence concerns or fear of the water would not be appropriate for the aquatic program.

Benefits of warm water exercise

Therapeutic benefits of aquatic therapy include:

• Decreased muscle spasticity
• Improved body awareness, balance and trunk stability
• Improved patient morale and confidence
• Improved respiratory muscles
• Increased ease of joint movement
• Increased muscular strength and endurance in cases of excessive weakness
• Increased peripheral circulation
• Promotion of muscular relaxation
• Reduction of pain sensitivity

Occupational therapy (OT)

OT works on returning you to daily life through occupation. An occupation is anything that people do during the course of everyday life. This will include the physical and cognitive skills to resume your life roles, which include self-care, productivity and leisure.

To help you return to everyday life, occupational therapists focus on:

• Adaptive equipment use
• Low-vision accommodations
• Neuromuscular recovery
• Positioning
• Range of motion
• Sensation
• Splinting
• Strengthening
• Tone management
• Visual perceptual issues

Occupational Therapy Driving Program

The Occupational Therapy Driving Program specializes in assessing an individual's potential to drive safely and competently following an injury, acute illness or progressive disease. The program also provides training in the use of adaptive devices as needed. We offer pre-driving and behind-the-wheel evaluations.

A pre-driving evaluation includes:

• Cognitive and perceptual skills
• Driving history
• Functional mobility
• General history
• Interview
• Medical history
• Reaction time testing
• Strength/dexterity assessment
• Visual screening

A behind-the-wheel evaluation includes:

• Assessing for adaptive equipment
• Controlling vehicle speed and placement
• Driver training in the use of adaptive devices
• Following directions
• Getting in and out of the vehicle
• Using judgment in traffic situations

Based on your behind-the-wheel evaluation, we may provide an adaptive device prescription, a consultation for local adaptive equipment providers and recommendations for additional diagnostic and rehabilitative services.

Candidates for our driving program

Candidates must hold a valid license or temporary permit and be seizure-free for a minimum of six months. A referral from a Florida licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician's assistant is required.

Appropriate candidates for referral include, but are not limited to, people who demonstrate any of the following:

Physical impairments:

• Balance/trunk stability deficits
• Coordination deficits
• Muscle weakness
• Limitations in range of motion
• Loss of arm/leg function

Cognitive/perceptual impairments involving:

• Judgment
• Memory
• Organizational skills
• Problem solving

Visual impairments relative to driving:

• Depth perception
• Double vision
• Visual fields

Speech language pathology (SLP or ST)

Speech language pathologists assess and treat conditions affecting swallowing, speech and communication. They can help you with:

• Alternative communication methods
• Clarity of speech
• Cognitive issues
• Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
• Swallowing assessment and intervention
• Understanding and using language skills

Swallowing therapy

We provide an array of evaluations including:

• Education on safe swallow and prevention of aspiration pneumonia
• Oral motor examination and clinical dysphagia evaluation
• Recommendations for further services

We also offer videofluoroscopic swallow (modified barium swallow) studies, which:

• Allow for determination of appropriate diet and further treatment recommendations
• Are conducted by speech language pathologists in conjunction with radiologists
• Provide X-ray video of swallow to identify specific impairments with swallowing mechanism and determine presence of aspiration

Our swallow therapy services include comprehensive treatment, such as:

• Identification of safest food and liquid consistencies
• Identification of safe swallowing protocol to reduce risk of aspiration pneumonia
• Individualized swallowing exercise program
• Ongoing patient/caregiver education and support
• Neuromuscular electrical stimulation treatment (as needed)
• Stimulation treatment modality as appropriate

Brain injury rehabilitation

We offer a comprehensive inpatient program for the treatment of adults who have experienced a brain injury. A brain injury can occur from a blow to the head, a fall, a tumor or an injury from lack of oxygen to the brain.

Our team of dedicated professionals provides a program that supports your unique needs and goals.

Benefits of our program include:

• A continuum of rehabilitation care at every step of recovery, including inpatient and outpatient programs.
• 24/7 camera-monitored rooms for your safety
• Advanced equipment to help you improve your abilities and regain independence.
• Certification in stroke rehabilitation by The Joint Commission.

The brain injury program offers:

• Brain injury support group
• Community reorientation therapy
• Community skills outings
• Controlled stimulation treatment gym
• Dressing/feeding program
• Equipment recommendations
• Family training/education
• Home accessibility evaluation
• Intensive, one-on-one treatment provided by physical, occupational and speech therapists
• Medical consultants
• Neuropsychologist available for consults
• Outpatient driver evaluation/program
• Recreational therapy
• State-of-the-art equipment supported by evidence-based research

Spinal cord injury rehabilitation

Spinal cord injuries can result from a variety of accidents, from falls to motor vehicle accidents. Rehabilitation of the spine requires multidisciplinary expertise — and that's exactly what you'll find at our hospital.

Our rehabilitation program and our orthopedics program come together to provide comprehensive inpatient care to help patients recover from spinal cord injuries. Our goal is to help each patient restore their mobility and independence and return to their everyday activities.

Osteoporosis care

Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, which results in weak bones that are prone to fractures.

Together with our women's care services teams, we offer a comprehensive program for the prevention and management of osteoporosis, including:

• Establishing a specific exercise program
• Implementing a walking program
• Improving balance
• Promoting good body alignment
• Teaching good body mechanics during activities of daily living
• Treating fractures

A referral from a Florida licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician's assistant is required for admission into the program.

Dizziness is a leading reason people 65 years of age and older seek medical attention. Although aging is not a cause of dizziness, geriatric patients develop dizziness for several reasons, including degeneration of the otolithic membrane, decompensation of old vestibular deficits, ototoxic drugs and multisensory and musculoskeletal changes.

The Vestibular Rehabilitation Program provides treatment for a variety of vestibular deficits and symptoms. The vestibular deficits can be extremely debilitating by producing symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo, postural instability and gait disturbances. These symptoms can result in a sedentary lifestyle and physical deconditioning.

Fall prevention is an important component of this program. Most falls happen in the home and result in an injury having a detrimental impact on the individual's health and well-being.

Fall prevention techniques may include:

• Creating and/or maintaining a well-lit and clutter-free environment
• Installing and using handrails for stairs and bathrooms
• Learning which medications or drug interactions are at risk for causing falls
• Maintaining flexibility and strength during the aging process
• Use of a fall alert system if you live alone
• Use of a night light or remote lamp switch for getting up in the dark

A referral from a Florida licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician's assistant is required.

Vestibular conditions we treat

We will provide a comprehensive evaluation by a qualified physical therapist to develop individualized treatment programs for a variety of diagnoses, including:

• Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
• Bilateral vestibular loss
• Central vestibular disequilibrium
• Labyrinthitis
• Multi-factorial disequilibrium
• Perilymphatic fistula
• Unilateral vestibular hypofunction
• Vestibular neuritis

Vestibular treatments

• Brandt-Daroff exercises
• Exercises to promote vestibular compensation or adaptation
• Epley maneuver
• Fall prevention
• Habituation training
• Semont maneuver

We also offer inpatient rehabilitative services for patients 18 years of age and older with impairments resulting in activity limitations.

Our facility is licensed by the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitation Services as the only Comprehensive Medical Rehabilitation Hospital in the Pensacola area. We are also recognized by CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) International as a rehabilitation expert in the region.

The program focuses on returning the person to maximum independence under the guidance of a team of physicians and professional staff. Patient treatment plans are individualized with your needs and preferences in mind to include medical acuity and stability, behavioral status and cultural preferences.

Recreational therapy

Recreational therapy, or therapeutic recreation, includes educating you and your family on the importance of continuing leisure interests after discharge. During your inpatient stay, the recreational therapist will provide several services, including:

• Adaptive sports/recreation
• Aquatic therapy
• Assistance with peer mentors
• Assistance with community resources
• Community reintegration therapy
• Leisure skill building and education
• Practice of the skills you learn from other therapists to translate to real life settings

Rehabilitation psychology

We understand that recovering from an illness or injury can be emotionally difficult for a patient. That is why we connect our patients to a rehabilitation psychologist.

The rehabilitation psychologist will assist the patient and their family during the inpatient stay with adjustments to medical conditions. They will provide education related to emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioral effects of injury/illness.

Candidates for inpatient rehabilitation

Candidates with a debilitating diagnosis of one or more of the following conditions are considered for our acute inpatient rehab program:

• Amputations
• Arthritis, severe rheumatoid arthritis and severe osteoarthritis
• Bilateral knee or hip joint surgery
• Brain injury
• Burns
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Congenital deformity
• Heart failure
• Hip fractures
• Knee and hip joint replacements
• Major multiple trauma
• Multiple sclerosis
• Myasthenia gravis, or other motor neuron type diseases
• Neurological disorders
• Parkinson's disease
• Polyneuropathy
• Renal failure (dialysis)
• Septicemia
• Single joints, patient body mass index (BMI) of at least 50 or patient is 85 years old or older
• Spinal cord injury
• Strokes

If you are unsure whether you meet criteria for acute inpatient rehabilitation, please call (850) 494-6100 for an evaluation.

If you have one or more of these conditions, ask yourself these questions:

• Has there been a decline from your original level of mobility or activities of daily living?
• Would you be interested in a daily rehab program to return to your normal level of activity?
• Is there still a need for wound care, respiratory care, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube education, diabetic and family training?

Inpatient rehabilitation insurance coverage

Our business office will verify insurance coverage for rehabilitation. The patient or family may need to be contacted during this process. If there are questions, the liaison nurse will contact you.

Selecting and purchasing a wheelchair has always been an important decision for people with physical disabilities. The right wheelchair must address comfort, proper fit, lifestyle, future mobility goals and financial considerations.

We offer a Wheelchair Seating Clinic open to anyone needing a wheelchair. This includes people who want to upgrade their current wheelchair, people with a recent diagnosis who may benefit from an equipment consultation and people with progressive disabilities who feel they may need improved adaptive equipment.

The individual may be assessed by a multidisciplinary team to determine his/her needs and preferences.

A referral from a Florida licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician's assistant is required.

Wheelchair Seating Clinic services

As a hospital specializing in physical rehabilitation, we offer several unique advantages to our individuals, which include:

• Assessment by a physical therapist specializing in wheelchair seating and evaluation of the user's lifestyle requirements and functional abilities
• Equipment prescriptions and letters of medical necessity are provided by the physical therapist to the referring physician
• Local vendors attend and provide equipment and information on availability and cost of specific wheelchairs

The individual is responsible for choosing an assistive technology professional (ATP) vendor who will order the prescribed wheelchair. If the individual has no preferences, then an ATP vendor will be chosen on a rotational basis. When the wheelchair arrives, a free follow-up visit is encouraged to ensure proper fit and adjustment.