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The CPT Approach to Rehabilitative Therapy

physical therapist working on senior male patient

 

This article was written by Kristine Bykerk, PT, MBA, and Senior Vice President of Corporate Operations, Community Physical Therapy & Associates (CPT Rehab) which provides physical, occupational and speech therapists to short-term rehabilitation centers and skilled nursing facilities as well as offers outpatient therapy.

Have you ever experienced an illness, injury or medical procedure such as a joint replacement and required rehabilitation to get you back to the lifestyle and activities you desire? That’s where the therapists at CPT Rehab, who provide therapy services to skilled nursing and short-term rehabilitation facilities, come in. People of all ages who undergo any type of surgical intervention or who are recovering from illness or injury can benefit from a rehabilitation program that is provided by a licensed therapist. An intensive therapy program helps get you on your feet more quickly and safely.

What to Expect from Therapy

 When you go to any facility for rehabilitation and therapy services, you can expect to receive an individualized plan of care that takes into account your own unique medical condition, physical limitations, health needs and therapy goals. The nurses, therapists, care coordinators, discharge planners and other staff work in tandem with you and your physician to ensure the best possible course of treatment and therapy outcomes. Your therapy team conducts a comprehensive examination and formulates an appropriate course of treatment designed to decrease pain and inflammation, improve movement, flexibility, posture, strength and performance and to promote maximum independence and capacities for activities of daily living, work or sports. CPT Rehab therapists’ approach is different from other therapy departments in that they will engage you to the extent that you wish – to elicit your concerns and goals and use this to formulate a treatment program that is specific and unique to you. This treatment philosophy will continue throughout the entire length of your stay, giving you a level of quality and support that few can offer. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions with CPT Rehab.

Our therapists have a goal to reintegrate patients back into the community. Using Functional Assessment Tests and other evidenced-based tests and measures of progress, therapists use high intensity exercises to increase muscle strength, reserve, bone density and overall endurance. This leads to improved performance so that patients can resume a meaningful life, rather than adapting and compensating. State-of-the-art therapeutic modalities such as Electrical Stimulation, Patterned Electrical Neuromuscular Stimulation (PENS), Therapeutic Ultrasound and Shortwave Diathermy are also used as indicated during treatment to decrease pain, inflammation and edema and increase patient comfort and tolerance to treatment. This enables therapists to introduce earlier, more aggressive therapy interventions to help improve function and recovery. Therapeutic modalities also allow therapists to treat more complex conditions, decrease muscle disuse atrophy, enhance soft tissue healing through increased circulation, and improve neuromuscular control in patients with orthopedic and neurological diagnoses.

Offering You the Support You Need to Achieve Your Goals

 One of the most important things our therapists do is teach you what is required to function successfully at home and reintegrate back into the community. An example of this is as follows:

The minimal requirements to be independent in the community include:

  • Walk a minimum of 1,000 feet per errand for 2-3 errands per trip
  • Carry packages averaging 6-7 pounds (a gallon of milk) while walking
  • Safely negotiate stairs, curbs, slopes; walk and look in all directions in a reasonable amount of time
  • Safely engage in frequent postural transitions, including changing directions, reaching, looking up and moving backwards
  • Walk at a minimum speed of 160 feet per minute (or about 2.6 feet/second).  This speed is what is required to safely cross an intersection with traffic signals
  • Rise from a chair without using your arms and with minimum effort

The extent to which you will benefit from therapy is dependent upon whether you want to modify your way of life with the use of assistive devices or adaptive equipment in order to return home as soon as possible or whether you want to increase your rehabilitation stay to achieve the maximum level of functioning possible before returning home. Whatever you decide regarding a therapy program that is right for you, know that Alden facilities can serve as an important step in the recovery process of any illness or surgery.

A Continuum of Care

 After you complete your rehabilitation stay, you may need further services in terms of home care or in an outpatient setting. We are able to arrange either service and will take care of all the details for you. In addition, we will make sure that your next provider is aware of what you have accomplished, and what goals you still have. You also will receive a written copy of an exercise program to continue with as well as any other pertinent instructions so that you can easily have them at hand. Finally, you are always encouraged to call your therapist after discharge should you have any concerns or questions. Our goal is to make all transitions as easy and seamless as possible for you and your therapist will work with you to do so.

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