Murfreesboro’s Leading Spinal Cord Rehabilitation & Therapy Center

If you have a family member or loved one who is suffering from a traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury, it can be immensely difficult to know what to do to help him or her. Yet, you do not need to feel helpless. Consider the following suggestions for ways in which you can best be of support to your loved one:

• Learn about the signs, symptoms, and effects of TBI and spinal cord injuries.
• Offer your assistance in activities of daily living, helping your loved one to feel as independent as possible, while still providing him or her with the help he or she needs.
• Support your loved one emotionally. Put your own emotions aside and take time to listen to your loved one and help him or her process through the inner turmoil that can result from experiencing such a devastating injury.
• Research the types of treatment that are available for individuals who have sustained either type of injury.
• Assist your loved one in participating in treatment. This can mean accompanying him or her to assessments or other appointments, checking in with him or her while he or she is receiving acute care in an inpatient setting, and offering ongoing support and encouragement as the road to recovery is navigated.

Receiving treatment for a traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury is not optional. Individuals can rarely continue living independently once these types of injuries have occurred, which is why it is imperative that comprehensive care be sought. By doing so, individuals can receive physical, psychological, and emotional treatment, while also learning how to resume functioning despite the detriments caused by the injuries they sustained. Should an individual opt to refrain from seeking treatment, he or she will likely experience monumental strife in all facets of his or her life. Traumatic brain injuries can elicit impairments in one’s vision, hearing, memory, thinking processes, and emotional 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. However, by receiving appropriate treatment, individuals can learn how to manage a new way of life.

During the streamlined admissions process, the need for rehabilitative services will be assessed. If this type of care is required, the staff at Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital treatment center for TBI & spinal cord injury will then determine which of the below listed treatment methods should be included into the patient’s treatment plan so that the most favorable treatment outcomes result:

Physical therapy: So as to help patients heal when they are struggling with medical conditions that limit their movement, flexibility, and overall quality of life, Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital is pleased to offer physical therapy within its physical medicine and rehabilitation unit. For example, if a man or woman is grappling with a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, or another type of medical concern, he or she will be able to meet with a physical therapist and learn new ways of becoming more independent and active in his or her daily life. This unique facet of care also offers patients access to orthotics, prosthetics, and wheelchair consultations with staff.

Occupational therapy: Because medical conditions like traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injuries can hinder an individual’s ability to carry out daily activities, occupational therapy is available at Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital so that patients can recuperate and resume healthy physical functioning in a more independent manner. Within Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital’s occupational therapy services, men and women can also benefit from ultrasounds, electronic stimulation, and kinesio taping when necessary.

Speech therapy: When a medical condition, like TBI or spinal cord injury, impacts a person’s ability to communicate effectively, speech therapy may be incorporated into his or her treatment plan. Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital’s staff of expertly trained speech therapists is also able to administer vital stimulation and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluations in order to determine if a patient’s ability to swallow is impacting his or her communication skills and overall health.   

Respiratory therapy: Numerous medical concerns can emerge when a person is unable to breathe properly. For this reason, Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital’s physical medicine and rehabilitation unit is equipped to treat those who require respiratory therapy, including trach management and decannulation, Trilogy, oxygen (O2) weaning, and CPAP and BiPAP management services. When a traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury is identified during the admissions process, the need for respiratory therapy will be determined and can be implemented into a patient’s care when it is required.

Medication management: When an individual is admitted to Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital’s physical medicine and rehabilitation unit to receive care for TBI or spinal cord injury, he or she will be seen by a physical rehabilitation doctor three to five days per week. When necessary, a specialty physician can meet with the patient to care for psychiatry, nephrology, cardiology, urology, podiatry, and/or neuropsychology needs as well. Additionally, Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital’s dedicated nursing staff is available to assist individuals 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. When meeting with nurses, patients can learn about their medication regimens, become educated on how to best handle their care when not at Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital, and become more familiar with diabetic care, DVT prophylaxis, and bowel/bladder training when needed.

Individual therapy: Conducted on an individual basis with either a physical therapist, occupational therapist, or speech therapist, individual therapy sessions occur at least three hours per day, five days per week. These sessions can serve as a time in which the patient’s safety is assessed or when the needs of the individual require help from a professional from another discipline. Individuals working to recover from TBI or spinal cord injuries are also able to meet with an assigned social worker who can assess the need for and establish support, transition planning, and follow-up care that meets the patient’s needs.

Family education and training: In order to help those closest to Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital patients, 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 individual they care about once he or she is discharged from Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital. Scheduled on an as needed basis, these meetings, which occur with Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital staff, are invaluable to family members and loved ones as they can help them learn how to properly aid someone while healing from TBI or a spinal cord injury. Lastly, when it is necessary, family members and loved ones can meet with a social worker for family meetings as well.

Experiential therapy: While working to recuperate from spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury, a patient may benefit from certain experiential therapies if they will be of benefit during the healing and recovery process. The following types of experiential therapies are offered at Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital and can be included in a patient’s treatment plan when appropriate:

• Role-playing
• Music therapy
• Aroma therapy
• Outside physical activity

Throughout a patient’s time at Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital & treatment center, methods of care can be added or removed from an individual’s treatment plan so that they are able to receive only the most effective types of treatment that will elicit the most favorable outcomes upon discharge.

Additionally, each person who partakes in Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital’s care will receive a thorough discharge plan that actually begins during the admissions process. The previous level of functioning of each person is reviewed upon admission to this hospital, and the compassionate staff work diligently to identify the resources that will help patients once they have completed treatment at Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital.

If you or an important person in your life is suffering from a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, or another medical concern that may warrant the high quality rehabilitative services that only Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, can provide, do not hesitate to contact our helpful intake team today. Let us help you or a loved one reap the benefits of having been treated in the most beneficial and transformative way possible. Murfreesboro Rehabilitation Hospital can help.