Changing

Painful joints often make exercise difficult. The warmth and buoyancy of a therapy pool allows a gentler way to exercise and may even relieve your pain. The water provides resistance that will increase your strength while supporting your body. The pool temperature is maintained at 94 degrees and is accessible to therapy patients. Individual therapy in a water environment can allow for decreased pain and improved movement.

One pool therapy option is the Ai Chi class. Ai Chi is a pool exercise designed to imitate Tai Chi in the water. Tai Chi is a slow motion exercise program that is a form of Martial Arts. Slow movements are done in harmony with the breath, resulting in relaxation while stretching and strengthening. Improved balance, range of motion and mobility can be achieved with this class. Experienced exercise specialists teach classes specifically designed for arthritis and back pain as well as fitness classes to allow you to continue your program when you are discharged from therapy.

Screening tools, such as the Balance Master, are used by physical therapists to assess a patient’s balance. These assessments, along with a full therapy evaluation, are used to design a personalized training program to improve balance and track progress.

A variety of therapy techniques are used including the Nintendo Wii. With the Wii, therapists are able to simulate activities that will improve balance. We focus on challenging the patient to help prevent future falls.

Occupational therapists are trained to measure “thought process” through standardized tests. Often these tests are used with patients who have been diagnosed with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and a variety of other diseases. The test results identify what the patient can and cannot do. The therapist helps the patient, and the patient’s family, understand the impact of the test results on daily living. The therapist will also teach strategies to help the patient maintain as much independence as is safely possible.

Exercise-based rehabilitation is offered as out-patient therapy. Therapists will develop a personalized, home-exercise program. A fully equipped gym and therapy pool are available to complement the home exercise program. The gym offers:

When therapy is completed, membership to Health Ambitions will be available.

Occupational therapists are experts at changing an environment to keep a patient as safe as possible in their home. The therapists will review any problems a patient might have with cooking, cleaning, bathing, dressing, and getting out into the community. Solutions for these problems will be presented to the patient and the patient’s family. Treatment may include:

• Home assessment – a therapist will visit the home to make suggestions regarding placement of furniture, installation of ramps or grab bars, re-organization of cupboards.
• New equipment training – patients will be taught how to properly use devices such as reachers and sock-aides for more independence with activities like getting dressed.

Hand therapy helps patients who have had surgeries involving the tendons or nerves recover. It also helps patients who have had an injury such as a fracture or severe cut on a hand or arm. Conditions like tendonitis and arthritis are treated by occupational therapists with specialized training. We offer a variety of techniques and treatments to help patients return to their highest level of activity for work or for play.

• Biofeedback
• BTE
• Custom and prefabricated splinting
• Desensitization
• Electrical stimulation
• Fluidotherapy
• Heat and cryo therapy
• Infra-red light therapy
• Iontophoresis
• Paraffin
• Range of motion
• Scar management
• Soft tissue mobilization
• Strengthening
• Ultrasound and phonophoresis

Language involves words and how people communicate ideas. Stroke, illness or injury can affect how people understand language. It can affect what is heard, spoken, and read. Working with a Speech-Language Pathologist can improve and recover language abilities.

Occupational Therapists can work with people who are experiencing a loss of independence because of visual impairments. The therapist working with a referral from a physician, ophthalmologist or optometrist can perform a home visit to assess for modifications to maintain safety and independence. Other common daily tasks to be worked on include dressing, grooming, eating, meal preparation, homemaking and money management.

Lymphedema therapy helps decrease the frequency and severity of swelling (lymphedema) that may be caused by surgical removal, injury to or radiation therapy of lymph nodes. It is a hands-on treatment used to improve the function of the lymphatic system. Patient education and self care are cornerstones of lymphedema therapy along with compression bandaging, exercise and manual lymph drainage.

Our outpatient physical therapy team is experienced in treating numerous spinal disorders. We treat back pain with a multi-faceted approach including:

• therapeutic exercise for core/spinal stabilization, spinal range of motion and flexibility using Pilates-based and traditional rehabilitation principles
• body mechanics education and practice including training for proper movement patterns
• manual therapy techniques and modalities for management of pain and muscle spasm
• mechanical traction table

Conditions treated include:

To let the muscle tissue and joints let go or relax, therapists perform manual therapy techniques. Manual therapy can decrease pain, increase strength and improve range of motion. Some manual therapy techniques used at Longmont United Hospital include:

We are equipped with a variety of treatments that compliment your therapy and goals of decreased pain and improved movement. These treatments include:

• Ultrasound
• Electrical stimulation
• Biofeedback
• Infra-red light therapy
• Heat and cryo therapy
• Fluidotherapy
• Traction
• Hybresis

We work as a team of physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists to meet the needs of people who have neurological issues. This multi-disciplinary approach provides our patients with individualized and comprehensive treatment they need to reach their goals. Some of the diagnoses we treat may include:

• Stroke
• Traumatic brain injury
• Spinal cord injury
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis

Approximately 10 million Americans may have osteoporosis, or thinning of bone tissue. Women over the age of 50 years are the most likely to get osteoporosis. If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, you may have noticed symptoms such as bone pain, fractures without trauma, and/or loss of height. Our physical therapists can actually help patients regain height on the first visit through posture education, stretching, and strengthening. Exercise and new, more comfortable bracing options can lead to long-term changes in posture and increased bone density.

Pelvic pain and/or incontinence can affect a number of women and men. The pain or dysfunction may relate to the muscles or joints in the pelvic area. A physical therapist with specialized training in pelvic physical therapy can evaluate your symptoms and develop a treatment program to address your problems.

Assessment and treatment may include:

• Internal exam
• Computerized Biofeedback
• Electrical Stimulation
• Bladder retraining
• Pelvic floor muscle retraining
• Ultrasound
• Manual therapy
• Soft tissue mobilization
• Scar tissue massage
• Patient education
• Therapeutic exercise, including abdominal strengthening and back stabilization
• Postural retraining

Pilates emphasizes controlled movements requiring the use the deep abdominal muscles, buttock muscles and muscles around the spine. Many Pilates exercises are performed lying down on the reformer or mat. There is a gentle progression from non-weight-bearing to full weight-bearing activities.

The Pilates Reformer utilizes spring tension to improve the postural system. Benefits of Pilates-Based Rehabilitation are:

• Increases core strength and stability
• Improves posture
• Improves balance and coordination
• Balances strength and flexibility
• Heightens body awareness
• No impact, easy on the joints

Pilates-Based Rehabilitation can benefit injuries and disorders including:

• Chronic neck and lower back pain
• Total knee/hip replacements
• Scoliosis
• Sciatica
• Shoulder impingement/tendonitis
• Hip pain/bursitis
• Ankle injury
• Fibromyalgia

The outpatient therapists are experienced in treating patients in the acute care and transitional care settings. The therapists frequently communicate with the physicians and nurses to manage your recovery. A variety of treatment options are available including a full service exercise gym, pool based therapy, manual therapy and modalities to help you get back to living!

Conditions treated may include:

• Total Joint Replacement
• Spine fusion
• ACL repair
• Rotator cuff
• Arthroscopic surgeries

The Saebo is a splint that was developed for stroke rehabilitation. It is designed to help improve your ability to use a weak arm. If appropriate, the treatment will be used during therapy sessions and the home program. Our Occupational Therapist has been specifically trained to assess your affected arm for use of the Saebo. Visit saebo.com.

When you speak, the air from your lungs blows through your vocal cords to make the sound of your voice. The shape of your throat, mouth and nose determines the quality of your voice. The movements you make with your tongue and palate also influence it. Your tongue, teeth, and lips form the sounds of the consonants and vowels, also called articulation. Any of these areas may be affected by an illness or injury. Speech therapy can assist in evaluating and treating these.

BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo) is an inner ear dysfunction is caused when naturally occurring crystals of the inner ear get into the semicircular canals, where they shouldn’t be. As a result, this causes dizziness. This dizziness occurs especially with position changes. With a relatively easy maneuver, we can help roll the crystals out of the canals and back to where they are normally found. Often we can get rid of the symptoms of dizziness in one treatment.

There are a variety of causes of dizziness and balance problems. Depending on the cause of your problem, your therapist will design a treatment program for you. This may include balance exercises, eye exercises, strengthening and stretching exercises, and manual therapy techniques. Habituation is one specific treatment technique used to treat dizziness related to eye and neck dysfunction. Our therapists will evaluate your symptoms to plan the most comprehensive treatment to make you better.

You use your voice to interact with the world. Your voice can become hoarse, too breathy, or too soft because of illness or injury. Teachers, ministers, and singers often experience these symptoms because of overuse. After consultation with your physician, Speech-Language Pathologists at Longmont United Hospital can teach you techniques and exercises to help improve your voice quality.

Lee Silverman Voice Training (LSVT) is an innovative and clinically proven method for improving voice and speech in people with Parkinson’s disease. It can also help with other neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cerebellar ataxia, and stroke. All of our Speech-Language Pathologists are certified in LSVT and experienced in a wide variety of other treatment approaches.

Physical Therapists provide services to patients who have impairments, functional limitations, or disabilities due to injury or disease. The physical therapy team at Longmont United Hospital has specialized training in a variety of areas. We use these special techniques to work to decrease your pain, improve your strength, increase your range of motion and flexibility, recover your balance, and enhance your sports performance. Our overall goal is to help you recover so you can return to doing what you enjoy!

Occupational Therapists provide services to patients whose lives have been disrupted by illness or injury. A traumatic or repetitive injury, an orthopedic or neurological disorder or a chronic congenital illness may indicate the need for occupational therapy. The occupational therapists at Longmont United Hospital treat individuals to improve or restore function and enable the participation in daily living activities like dressing, eating, and bathing. They help people learn new skills or adapt to a permanent loss through functional tasks used to decrease pain, to improve strength, range of motion, coordination and balance or to work on cognitive skills and compensation training.

Speech and Language Pathologists provide services to individuals who have difficulty with speech, language, cognitive communication, voice and swallowing. Our goal is to help improve and regain abilities after illness or injury so patients can eat safely and enjoy eating, return to work, continue with education, socialize with friends and family, and manage everyday tasks that involve thinking and communication. Speech-Language Pathologists assess and treat patients to reach full potential and be successful in daily life.