Murfreesboro’s Leading Spinal Cord Rehabilitation & Therapy Center

If you have a loved one who is suffering from a spinal cord injury, it can be challenging to know how to best support them, but there are tangible things you can do. Consider the following suggestions for ways you can best help your loved one:

• Learn about the signs, symptoms, and effects of spinal cord injuries.
• Offer your assistance with activities of daily living, helping your loved one feel as independent as possible while still providing them with the support they need.
• Research the types of care that are available and what kind of programming may be best for them.
• Be a part of your loved one’s treatment. This can mean accompanying them to assessments and appointments, checking in with them regularly, and offering ongoing support and encouragement.
• Be patient. Healing from a spinal cord injury can be challenging and overwhelming. It is not uncommon for people to begin to feel a sense of defeat. Let your loved one know that you are there for them and show them patience as they relearn how to do the things that once came naturally.

Receiving treatment for a spinal cord injury is not something you can avoid. People can rarely continue living independently following this type of injury. This is why it is important to receive treatment as quickly as possible.

By receiving comprehensive, integrated spinal cord injury treatment, people can get not only physical care but psychological care as well while also learning to resume daily functioning.

Suffering from a spinal cord injury can result in permanent changes in one’s strength and bodily sensations. Motor dysfunction and paralysis can also be devastating effects of a spinal cord injury. But by getting treatment, people can learn how to adjust to a new way of living.

During the streamlined admissions process at our spinal cord injury treatment center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, each patient completes an assessment so that our team can gather important information about them to determine what type of care will be most beneficial for them. The results of that assessment then help our team craft a personalized treatment plan that includes services that are catered to meet the individual’s needs. These personalized spinal cord injury treatment plans may include:

Physical therapy: To help patients heal when they are struggling with medical conditions that limit their movement, flexibility, and overall quality of life, Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is pleased to offer physical therapy within its physical medicine and rehabilitation unit. If someone has suffered from a spinal cord injury, they can meet with a physical therapist and learn the skills they need to be able to function independently. This unique facet of care also offers patients access to orthotics, prosthetics, and wheelchair consultations with staff.

Occupational therapy: Because medical conditions like spinal cord injuries can prevent people from being able to carry out daily activities, occupational therapy is available at our Murfreesboro rehabilitation center. This can help patients recuperate and resume healthy physical functioning in a more independent manner. As part of our occupational therapy services, people have access to a number of interventions, including ultrasounds, electronic stimulation, and Kinesio Taping.

Speech therapy: When a medical condition like a spinal cord injury impacts a person’s ability to communicate effectively, speech therapy may be incorporated into their treatment plan. There are a variety of services offered in speech therapy, all of which are catered to the person’s specific needs. One aspect of our speech therapy services is our staff of expertly trained speech therapists administering vital stimulation and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluations to determine if a patient’s ability to swallow is impacting their communication skills.

Respiratory therapy: In some instances, a spinal cord injury can cause someone to struggle to breathe properly. For this reason, our physical medicine and rehabilitation unit is equipped to treat those who require respiratory therapy. We offer a number of services as part of our respiratory therapy, including trach management and decannulation, oxygen (O2) weaning, and CPAP and BiPAP management services.

Medication management: When an individual is admitted to Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital’s physical medicine and rehabilitation unit to receive care for a spinal cord injury, they are seen by a physical rehabilitation doctor three to five days each week. When necessary, a specialty physician can meet with the patient to care for psychiatry, nephrology, cardiology, urology, podiatry, and neuropsychology needs as well. Additionally, Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital’s dedicated nursing staff is available to assist individuals 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When meeting with nurses, patients can learn about their medication regimens, become educated on how to best handle their care when not at our hospital, and familiarize themselves with things such as diabetic care, DVT prophylaxis, and bowel/bladder training when needed.

Individual therapy: Patients have the opportunity to meet with various team members, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists, for individual therapy sessions. These sessions take place three hours a day, five days per week. One aspect of individual therapy is monitoring a patient’s ability to safely function so that we can determine if they need help from a professional from another discipline. Individuals who are working to recover from spinal cord injuries are also able to meet with an assigned social worker, who can help them with transition planning and determining follow-up care that meets their specific needs.

Family education and training: Family support services are available to provide family members and other loved ones with the information, resources, and support they need to be of best assistance to the patient once they are discharged from our rehabilitation hospital. Scheduled on an as-needed basis, these meetings, which occur with Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital staff, are invaluable for family members and other loved ones, as they can help them learn how to properly assist someone while they heal from a spinal cord injury. Additionally, when needed or requested, loved ones can meet with a social worker for family meetings.

Throughout a patient’s time at Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital, methods of care can be added or removed from their treatment plan so that they are receiving the specific types of care that are most beneficial for their healing process.

Additionally, each person who receives care at our rehabilitation hospital in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is given a thorough discharge plan so that they have ongoing support once their time with us comes to an end. We begin developing this discharge plan at admission and can adjust it throughout the person’s time in our care based on their needs and the progress they make.

If you or an important person in your life is suffering from a spinal cord injury and is in need of the highest-quality rehabilitative services available, please do not hesitate to contact our helpful intake team today. Let us help you or your loved one begin the journey to healing.

This content was written on behalf of and reviewed by the clinical staff at Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital.