The Center for Rehabilitation

Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy can improve circulation, restore motion, relieve pain, prevent injury, strengthen muscles, correct deformities and promote healing. The physical therapist evaluates each patient’s needs before customizing a course of treatment and education designed to attain maximum improvement as quickly as possible. To assist the therapist, a fully equipped gym housing the best rehabilitative equipment is available.

Some of our specific services include:

• Therapeutic exercise
• Gait and mobility training
• Dry needling
• Neuromuscular re-education/Balance training
• Spine stabilization
• Therapeutic pain management
• Vestibular rehabilitation
• LSVT® Big
• Patient and family education
• Modalities (moist heat, cold, E-stim, TENS, ultrasound)

Occupational Therapy
Illness or injury can prevent an individual from performing daily tasks of life that most people take for granted. Occupational Therapy reduces limitations by improving muscle strength, desensitizing painful areas and enhancing behavioral/ cognitive skills. Through therapy, patients improve self-care abilities and acquire skills to regain/maintain maximum function and ability to return to activities of daily living. For injuries of the hand, therapy is designed to restore impaired function through the use of customized splints and therapeutic exercise.

Our services include:

• Day-to-day skills
• Visual perception
• Stroke recovery
• Lymphedema therapy
• Cognitive retraining
• Patient and family education

Speech/Language Pathology
Speech Pathology provides rehabilitative services to adults who have neurologic disorders due to stroke or head injury, (ALS, Parkinson’s, etc.), and have impairments in receptive or expressive communication, cognition or swallowing. Patients who have lost the ability to talk due to laryngectomy, cancer or other voice disorders receive training in alternative methods of communication. Children with acquired or developmental language disorders, articulation or feeding/oral motor disorders receive therapy to reach their maximum potential.

Our specific services include:

• Speech and language assessment
• Swallowing evaluation and treatment
• Cognitive retraining
• Speech treatment/voice disorders
• MBS (Modified Barium Swallow Study)
• Clinical feeding/oral motor evaluations
• LSVT® Loud
• Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallow (FEES)

What is Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES)?

FEES is a portable procedure where a tiny camera is inserted into a patient’s nose and allows a speech-language pathologist to visualize a patient’s throat while swallowing.

Who needs FEES?

Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallow (FEES) is for patients who have had neurological conditions like stroke, ALS, Multiple Schlerosis, Parkinson’s and more.

Where can I get FEES?

This procedure can be performed in a patient’s room or in an outpatient clinic. This test allows the speech-language pathologist to use various food and liquid consistencies and try various swallowing techniques or strategies with their patients to ensure safe dietary recommendations.

What are the advantages of FEES?

Apart from video fluoroscopy (completed in x-ray with a radiologist), with FEES there is no radiation exposure. The research behind FEES has suggested that FEES is sensitive and specific for identifying abnormal signs of dysphagia(difficulty swallowing).

Industrial Rehabilitation
On-the-job injuries can be costly to employers and employees. That’s why the Center for Rehabilitation at Catawba Valley Medical Center has a special department that addresses industrial needs, from prevention to rehabilitation to return-to work.

Below are our specific services:

• Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs) – Provide a comprehensive measurement of physical limitations and functional abilities and assess return-to-work capabilities.
• Work Conditioning – Prepares patients to return to work.
• Job Site/Task Analysis and Modification – Identifies injury-producing jobs or conditions and helps employers make them safer.
• Preventive/Education Programs – Lower the incidence of cumulative trauma disorders.
• Pre-employment placement screening – Assesses individuals to determine if physical capabilities match the available job to help reduce the risk of on-the-job injuries

Industrial Rehabilitation “Industrial athlete” is a term often used to describe employees in modern work settings. Like sports athletes who are sidelined by injury, injured industrial athletes may require rehabilitation to be able to return to the “game”, i.e. employment. For those who are not able to return to work because of unresolved physical problems following acute care, the treatment focus changes to restoration of work-related function.

Catawba Valley Medical Center’s Industrial Rehabilitation program is a Quality Provider for the nationally recognized WorkWell Prevention and Care. WorkWell programs offered include Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE), Work Conditioning, Job Site Analysis (JSA), Functional Job Descriptions (FJD) and Pre-Work Screens (PWS). WorkWell programs are a kinesiophysical approach which utilizes the kinesiology (study of physical movement) knowledge of a physical therapist and/or occupational therapist to indicate:

• Maximum objective strength of an individual
• Tolerance levels to activity based on objective physical observations
• Safety procedures to ensure no injuries occur during the testing situation
• Client awareness of the difference between safe and unsafe procedures
• Linking of functional deficiencies with physical causes
• Ability to identify sub maximal efforts and the presence of self-limiting behavior
• A very specific objective informational report that includes observations, conclusions, and recommendations

WorkWell programs are based on more than 20 years of study, research, utilization, and refinement. Additional information about WorkWell Prevention and Care may be found at www.workwell.com.

Services

Functional Capacity Evaluation is the comprehensive, objective testing of a person’s abilities in work-related tasks. It is musculoskeletal oriented so that as performance is rated both abilities and physical limitations can be noted. FCE is an integral part of the return-to-work process. It forms a medical basis for return to work conclusions regarding Physical Demand Levels, work restrictions and/or reasonable accommodations. FCE’s may also be used to assist in disability determination or for rating to release the client from medical care.

Work Conditioning: an intensive, work-related, goal-oriented conditioning program designed specifically to restore systemic neuromusculoskeletal functions, muscle performance (including strength, power, and endurance), motor function, range of motion, and cardiovascular/pulmonary endurance. The objective of the work conditioning program is to restore physical capacity and function to enable the client to return to work.

Pre-Work screens (also known as pre-employment or post-offer screens) are functional tests developed for an employer based on the critical job requirements of specific positions. Reduction in the number of injuries and associated medical and workers’ compensation cost as a result of PWS’s is well documented. PWS’s are developed in accordance with ADA and EEOC guidelines.

Job Site Analysis is performed on location to assist with injury prevention and/or reduction by identifying potential injury-producing tasks or conditions. Ergonomic modifications can be recommended. JSA may also be used to develop specific functional job descriptions and to assist in establishing a client’s Work Hardening program.

For discussion or further information about any of the Industrial Rehabilitation programs offered at Catawba Valley Medical Center, please contact us at 828-326-2131.

Aquatic Therapy
The center’s aquatic program consists of a three-lane, 25-yard heated pool, located in Catawba Valley Medical Center’s Fitness Plus Center. Therapy performed in water reduces stress to joints and injured areas, because of this, aquatic therapy is especially beneficial in the treatment of arthritis, back injury, fibromyalgia, and many other musculoskeletal and neurological diagnoses. A chair lift makes the pool accessible for all patients.