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Rehabilitation

Home > Illnesses and Disabilities Home > Health Care > Rehabilitation

• Physical Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Speech-Language Therapy
• Vocational Therapy
• Recreational Therapy
• Psychological Services
• Additional Resources

Recovery from a serious injury or illness can take a lot of time. If you have been hurt or sick, you may need to regain your strength, relearn skills, or find new ways of doing things you did before. This process is called rehabilitation. There are many types of therapies used in rehabilitation. These therapies can also be useful for people who are born with certain disabilities.

To start a rehabilitation program, your doctor will refer you to a rehabilitation center or to a specific type of therapist. Here are some types of therapies used in rehabilitation programs:

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy aims to improve:

• joint movements
• muscle strength
• coordination
• balance
• walking

A physical therapist may give you certain physical activities to do to improve your ability to move or to strengthen your muscles. For instance, the parallel bars can help if you are having problems keeping your balance or walking. You hold onto the bars as you relearn how to stand up straight or to walk. The physical therapist may also give you certain activities to do to help improve your overall physical fitness. Being physically fit is important for preventing diseases such as heart disease and osteoporosis (thin or weak bones).

Occupational Therapy

An occupational therapist helps people do activities of daily living that are made difficult by a disorder or injury. These could be activities at home, on the job, or at school. They include activities such as dressing, feeding yourself, bathing, writing, using a computer mouse, paying attention, and remembering things. Occupational therapists also can help some children with autism learn how to interact with others.

First, an occupational therapist will evaluate how well you do something that you're having a problem with. Then he or she may suggest a different way of doing it. For instance, an occupational therapist may help a person with a paralyzed arm learn new ways to dress and fasten buttons. An occupational therapist also might recommend helpful devices. For instance, for a person with impaired hearing, the therapist might recommend a telephone that has a flashing light instead of a ring.

Speech-Language Therapy

The therapist who helps people with speech and language disorders is called a speech-language pathologist. A speech-language pathologist might:

• help you learn how to say speech sounds correctly
• help you overcome a stuttering problem
• help you improve the quality of your voice
• relearn how to use spoken and written language if you've lost this ability because of a stroke or other type of brain injury
• help children with language disorders with skills such as grammar, vocabulary, conversation, and story-telling
• recommend an alternative communication device for someone who cannot speak. One example is a speech generating device that "speaks" words that you type on a keyboard.

Vocational Therapy

Vocational therapists help people with disabilities get jobs. They can help people with disabilities identify job strengths and develop résumés that highlight those strengths. They also can help in job searches and educate people with disabilities about their legal rights regarding employment.

Recreational Therapy

Recreational therapists help people with disabilities use their free time to enhance their health, independence, and quality of life. For instance, children who are mildly impaired by cerebral palsy are sometimes taught to ride horses. Besides helping them learn to move better, the therapy often improves their mood and boosts self-esteem.

Psychological Services

As part of your rehabilitation, you may see a psychotherapist, such as a counselor, clinical psychologist, or psychiatrist. A psychotherapist can help people with disabilities cope with depression and other emotional problems.

Additional Resources

Publications

1.   Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies - This site lists vocational rehabilitation agencies. By contacting your local vocational rehabilitation office, you will tap into a wealth of resources related to employment options for people with disabilities.

   http://www.jan.wvu.edu/cgi-win/TypeQuery.exe?902

2. Consumer Information Site (Copyright © APTA) - This web site links to information about physical therapy and physical therapists from the American Physical Therapy Association.

   http://www.apta.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Consumers/consumer1.htm

3. Consumers Page (Copyright © AOTA) - This web page links to information about occupational therapy for consumers from the American Occupational Therapy Association.

   http://www.aota.org/Consumers.aspx

4. Frequently Asked Questions About Music Therapy (Copyright © AMTA) - Ever thought music could be therapeutic? This page contains information about music therapy, its benefits, and what music therapists do.

   http://www.musictherapy.org/faqs.html

5. Introduction to Animal-assisted Activities and Therapy (Copyright © Delta Society) - This publication explains the different ways animals can be used in therapy, and also describes the difference between therapy animals and service animals.

   http://www.deltasociety.org/AnimalsAAAAbout.htm

6. Psychotherapy: An overview of the types of therapy (Copyright © MFMER) - This publication discusses the many types of therapy available. It describes what the focus of each therapy is and who would benefit from it.

   http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/psychotherapy/MH00009

7. Understanding Physical Therapy (Copyright © Easter Seals) - This fact sheet describes physical therapy, its aims, what it is used for, and how a physical therapist is educated. It also discusses how an individualized treatment plan can help you define realistic goals for your physical therapy treatment.

   http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ntl_understand_pt

Organizations

1.   National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, NICHD, NIH, HHS
2. American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
3. American Art Therapy Association, Inc.
4. American Dance Therapy Association
5. American Music Therapy Association, Inc.
6. American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.
7. American Physical Therapy Association
8. American Speech-Language Hearing Association
9. Delta Society
10. National Rehabilitation Association
11. National Rehabilitation Information Center, NIDRR, ED

= Indicates Federal Resources

Content last updated May 15, 2008.