Physical, Occupational & Speech Therapy

Madison County Health & Rehab utilizes physical therapists and physical therapist assistants to treat people of all ages, including newborns, children, adults and elderly individuals. They may consult and practice with other health professionals to help you improve or restore the mobility you need to move forward with your life.

What Does Physical Therapy Help With?

• Joint range of motion
• Endurance
• Arthritis and Osteoporosis
• Back, Knee, and Shoulder Pain
• Athletic Injuries
• Overuse Injuries
• Orthopaedic Issues (repairs and replacements)
• Stroke and other Neurological Problems (nerve damage, spinal cord injuries)
• Sprains, Strains, and Fractures

What Can I Expect From Physical Therapy?

Evaluation and Assessment
A physical therapist works together with your primary care physician to understand your medical history and makes observations through routine tests, including muscle strength, sensation and range of motion. This helps develop personalized treatment and therapy goals.

Pain Reduction
Physical Therapists may use modalities such as heat, ice, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, light, massage and soft tissue mobilization, traction, and stretching to reduce your painful areas.

Strengthening and Stretching
Physical therapy can improve mobility, decrease pain in joints or soft tissue, enhance circulation, and help you function better. With specific exercises that you can do at home, Physical Therapy can help alleviate current conditions and prevent future injuries or declines in quality of life.

Assessment for Walking Aids
Physical therapists can evaluate your situation and help you adjust to the use of braces, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, or other support devices to make you more independent and safe.

Education on Prevention
Physical Therapists provide a key role in wellness education such as:

• Preventing back pain and injury
• Healing and preventing athletic injuries
• Explaining job specific body mechanics in order to avoid work-related injuries
• Advising new and expecting mothers with safe exercise techniques
• Demonstrate ways to prevent re-injury

Gait and Balance Training
Physical Therapists can assess your stability and balance while upright. They may work with you on strengthening exercises, coordination exercises, balance training activities and suggest assistive devices if indicated.

Our Physical Therapists

Madison County Health & Rehab utilizes an occupational therapist to treat people of all ages, including newborns, children, adults and elderly individuals. Our therapist enables people to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health and prevent—or live better with—illness, injury or disability. An occupational therapist works closely with other health care providers, such as nurses, physical therapists and speech therapists.

What Can Occupational Therapy Help With?

Our occupational therapist works with patients in acute care, skilled care and in the outpatient setting. We have the equipment needed to provide therapy for a variety of medical conditions, such as:

• Post-surgeries
• Arm and hand injuries
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Developmental disabilities
• Neurological problems

An occupational therapist’s treatments include:

• Training for ADLs (Activities of Daily Living) such as eating, dressing, homemaking, community activities
• Fine motor planning and functional skills
• Hand skills (improving motion, strength, coordination, and in-hand manipulation)
• Sensory integration (activities to help integrate the senses such as over-sensitivity to sound or touch)
• Accommodation with adaptive equipment
• Ergonomic education and modification in home, work, school and leisure
• Splinting and Bracing
• Strengthening
• Problem solving

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Lymphedema Therapy

What is Lymphedema?

Lymphedema is defined as swelling of a body part, commonly in the arms or legs, caused by an abnormal accumulation of lymphatic fluid. There are two types of lymphedema – primary and secondary. Both types relate to a deficit within the lymphatic system, including lymph vessels and lymph nodes, that may be damaged, otherwise impaired or missing altogether.

Primary lymphedema is due to a developmental defect of the lymph vessels and/or lymph nodes. Secondary lymphedema is caused by damage to the lymphatic system and can appear at any age. Causes may include trauma, cancer treatments including surgery or radiation, infections, venous insufficiencies, cardiac conditions, diabetes, and other medical conditions. Lymphedema is a chronic condition however it can be managed through lifestyle changes and lymphedema therapies.  

Signs and symptoms for lymphedema may include:

• Swelling or puffiness of a body part, often a limb
• Feeling of heaviness, tightness or aching
• Reduced mobility and/or sensation
• Condition gradually worsens over time or the course of the day
• Increased frequency of skin infections and/or wounds
• Hardening and/or thickening of the skin

Lymphedema Therapy

Certified lymphedema therapist offers a wide range of therapies for individuals suffering from the uncomfortable and often debilitating impact of lymphedema.

• Lymphatic education – prevention and precautions
• Lymphedema management – including comprehensive manual lymphatic drainage massage techniques
• Lymphatic and exercise education
• Rehabilitation – strengthening and endurance exercises and improving range of motion
• Scar management
• Pain management
• Compression bandaging and garments
• Pneumatic pump consultations and referrals for in-home use
• Myofascial stretch and release techniques for tight musculature and fibrotic tissue

Kate O’Rear is our Occupational Therapist that specializes in Lymphedema Therapy.

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Pelvic Floor Therapy

What is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

Pelvic floor dysfunction refers to a variety of conditions that affect the muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues that support the pelvic organs, including the bladder, uterus, and rectum. These conditions can lead to symptoms such as urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, and sexual dysfunction. There are many factors that can contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction, including childbirth, surgery, aging, and certain medical conditions.

Signs and symptoms for pelvic floor dysfunction may include:

• Urinary Incontinence
  Leakage of urine during activities such as coughing, sneezing, laughing or exercising, or as a sudden and strong urge to urinate that is difficult to control.
  
• Pelvic Pain
  Chronic or intermittent pain in the pelvic region, including the lower abdomen, groin, or perineum.
  
• Painful Intercourse
  Pain or discomfort during sexual intercourse, which can occur in both men and women.
  
• Incomplete Emptying of the Bladder or Bowels:
  Difficulty fully emptying the bladder or bowel.
  
• Frequent Urination:
  Increased frequency of urination, often accompanied by a sense of urgency.
  
• Constipation or Straining with Bowel Movements:
  Difficulty passing stools
  
• Pelvic Organ Prolapse:
  A bulging or pressure sensation in the pelvic area, often described as feeling like something is falling out of the vagina or rectum.
  
• Pelvic Muscle Spasms:
  Uncontrolled contractions or spasms of the pelvic floor muscles, leading to pain or discomfort.
  
• Lower Back Pain:
  Chronic or recurrent pain in the lower back, which may be associated with pelvic floor dysfunction.
  
• Difficulty Initiating or Maintaining Urination:
  Difficulty starting the urinary stream or maintaining it until completion.
  
• Pain or Discomfort in the Genital Area:
  Discomfort in the genital region, including the vagina, vulva, penis, or scrotum.

Pelvic Floor Therapy

Our Health & Rehab Services department offers specialized occupational therapy services for individuals dealing with pelvic floor dysfunction. Our certified pelvic floor therapist is trained to provide comprehensive care to help you manage and alleviate your symptoms.

• Education and Prevention
  Understanding the factors contributing to pelvic floor dysfunction is the first step towards prevention. We provide education on lifestyle changes and techniques to help prevent symptoms from worsening.
  
• Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation
  Our therapy plans include exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and improve flexibility and range of motion. We also offer manual therapy techniques to release tight muscles and reduce pain.
  
• Relaxation Techniques
  Stress and tension can exacerbate pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms. Our therapist will teach you relaxation techniques to help manage stress and reduce symptoms.
  
• Pain Management
  Chronic pelvic pain is a common symptom of pelvic floor dysfunction. Our therapist uses various techniques, including manual therapy, to help alleviate pain and improve your quality of life.

Megan Owen is our Occupational Therapist that specializes in Pelvic Floor Therapy.

Our Occupational Therapists

Madison County Health & Rehab utilizes a Speech-Language Pathologist to treat people of all ages, including children, adults and elderly individuals. A speech therapist evaluates and treats individuals with speech, language, and swallowing disorders. There are several speech and language disorders that can be treated with speech therapy.

Language Disorders

A SLP aids in the rehabilitation of language skills when an individual has difficulty understanding and expressing language. Language disorders can affect the form, use, and content of language that allow individuals to communicate in effective and socially appropriate ways.

Language disorders include:

• Aphasia
• Language-based learning disabilities
• Expressive and receptive language delays and disorders
• Selective Mutism

Speech Disorders

Speech disorders occur when an individual has difficulty with production of accurate speech sounds, fluency, or voice and/or resonance. Therapy for speech disorders enhances the use of functional communication and improves quality and intelligibility of speech.

Speech disorders include:

• Apraxia of speech
• Dysarthria
• Speech sound disorders
• Voice disorders
• Stuttering

Cognitive-Communication Disorders

Cognitive-communication disorders include difficulty with organizing thoughts, sustaining attention, memory, planning, and/or problem-solving. The SLP works to rehabilitate these skills and introduces and guides practice of compensatory strategies for success.

Common causes of cognitive-communication disorders include:

• Stroke
• Traumatic brain injury
• Degenerative diseases (Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis etc.)
• Dementia

Social Communication Disorders

Individuals with social communication disorders have trouble with the use of social communication such as greetings and commenting, following the rules of conversation, and adjusting communication styles for different listeners and situations. Speech therapy enhances and promotes the use of appropriate social skills.

People with social communication disorders may have or have had:

• Autism
• Stroke
• Traumatic brain injury

Swallowing Disorders

The act of swallowing involves three stages: oral phase, pharyngeal phase, and esophageal phase. Swallowing disorders can occur at any stage. SLPs work with individuals who experience problems during the oral and pharyngeal stage(s).  Difficulty swallowing can result in entrance of material into the lungs, which can increase the potential for pneumonia. Rehabilitation of the swallow aims to lower this risk and to create a more efficient swallow.

Common causes of swallowing disorders:

• Stroke
• Traumatic brain injury
• Degenerative diseases
• Spinal cord injury
• Cerebral palsy

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

AAC is the use of communication in a form other than oral speech. Those that experience severe speech or language difficulties may benefit from the use of AAC to aid in communication. The use for AAC ranges from low-tech to high-tech options that best fit the individual’s wants and needs. The use of AAC does not discourage the use of speech and language development; rather it enhances the use of functional and meaningful communication.

Examples of AAC:

• Picture, symbol, and alphabet communication boards
• Electronic devices dedicated to communication
• Speech output apps

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Speech Therapy for Children

Speech therapy exercises and activities vary depending on a child’s disorder, age, and needs.

Speech therapy can help children with a variety of delays and disabilities, including:

• Developmental delays
• Language disorders
• Learning disabilities
• Speech and hearing impairments
• Cleft palate
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Voice disorders

During speech therapy for children, the Speech Therapist may:

• Interact through talking and playing, and using books, pictures other objects as part of language intervention to help stimulate language development.
• Model correct sounds and syllables for a child during age-appropriate play to teach the child how to make certain sounds.
• Provide strategies and homework for the child and parent or caregiver on how to do speech therapy at home.

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Speech Therapy for Adults

Speech therapy for adults also begins with assessment to determine your needs and the best treatment. Speech therapy exercises for adults can help you with speech, language, and cognitive communication.

Many adults visit a speech therapist for:

• Rehabilitation after stroke
• Head injury
• Degenerative disease
• Dementia or cognitive impairments
• Cancer of head, neck and throat
• Voice disorders
• Difficulty swallowing

Exercises may involve:

• Problem solving, memory, and organization, and other activities geared at improving cognitive communication
• Conversational tactics to improve social communication
• Breathing exercises for resonance
• Exercises to strengthen oral muscles

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How Long Do You Need Speech Therapy?

The amount of time you will need speech therapy depends on a few factors, including:

• Your age
• Type and severity of the speech disorder
• Frequency of therapy
• Treatment of an underlying medical condition

Some speech disorders begin in childhood and improve with age, while others continue into adulthood and require long-term therapy and maintenance. A communication disorder caused by a stroke or other medical condition may improve with treatment and as the condition improves.

Our Speech Therapist