Aquatic Therapy

Performing exercise in the water can be beneficial for a variety of patients with neuromuscular or musculoskeletal disorders. Aquatic exercise reduces gravitational forces diminishing joint compression. This allows greater comfort and ease of movement for patients with painful joints. The surrounding pressure of the water assists in reducing inflammation and provides sensory input for postural awareness.

For those patients who may have difficulty exercising on land, aquatic therapy provides a medium in which to gain strength and endurance.

Patients do not need to know how to swim, as a lifeguard is always present, and a therapist directs each treatment session. The presence of both stairs and a ramp ensures easy access to the pool.

For information contact Rehabilitation Services at (941) 917-7600.

Better Balance Program

People with balance and dizziness problems can have difficulty with even the simplest tasks. Happily, help is available. Medical research has demonstrated balance problems are neither imaginary nor inevitable with age, and there are effective treatments available for those who experience them.

Our team of balance therapists – medical professionals and clinicians who are specially trained in the evaluation and treatment of balance disorders – use state of the art equipment and techniques to evaluate and treat people suffering from balance disorders. Evaluations and treatment include:

• Self-assessment
• Dynamic balance training
• Gait training Evaluations for bracing or assistive devices
• Evaluation of needs for home assistance

Contact Rehabilitation Services at: (941) 917-1385.

Waging the War on Cancer: Cancer Rehabilitation

Cancer patients have specific rehabilitation needs. Not only can the primary effects of cancer lead to significant disability, so too can treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy. Our rehab team is there to help patients throughout the course of their disease, from cancer staging through hospitalization to recovery.

Because properly timed interventions can lessen the debilitating effects of cancer and its treatment, Sarasota Memorial rehab specialists work closely with the patient’s oncologist to plan and deliver care before a serious disability occurs. Patients may experience problems that include:

• Pain
• Fatigue
• General debility
• Nutritional deficiency
• Skin breakdown
• Bowel or bladder problems
• Impaired psychosocial functioning

Best results are achieved when a Physiatrist performs a comprehensive functional assessment at the time of cancer staging, then makes recommendations to the oncologist. Rehabilitative strategies may include:

• Exercise to maintain strength and endurance
• Flexibility enhancement exercises
• Advanced pain management techniques
• Orthotic and prosthetic interventions when needed
• Diagnosis and management of problems with swallowing and/or speech function
• Rapid assessment and treatment of bowel and bladder dysfunction
• Retraining for activities of daily living
• Adaptive equipment training
• Relaxation techniques
• Home modification
• Family/caregiver training

Contact Rehabilitation Services at: (941) 917-1385.

Breast Cancer Rehabilitation

Dealing with the physical and emotional aftermath of breast cancer can be a difficult challenge. The Breast Cancer Rehabilitation Program offers survivors a full spectrum of rehabilitation services in a supportive, empathetic environment.

In collaboration with the patient's physician, each program is individually designed to meet the patient's needs at their current stage of treatment. Support and education are provided so each woman can identify and manage those risk factors over which she has control. This program is staffed by a physical therapist certified in lymphedema therapy by the Lymphology Association of America.

Loss of strength and function of the shoulder and a decrease in overall fitness often accompanies the surgical removal of the breast and lymph nodes. Modeled after the nationally renowned "Recovery in Motion" breast cancer rehabilitation program, our treatment options include:

• Post-operative physical and/or occupational therapy
• General exercise and fitness

• Comprehensive management of lymphedema (swelling)
• Restoration of range of motion, strength and function
• Pain management (link)
• Home exercise programs
• Post-op management of breast reconstruction

Please call (941) 917-4516 for more information about Breast Cancer Rehabilitation Services.

Getting to the Heart of the Matter: Cardiac Rehabilitation

Specifically designed for patients who have experienced a cardiac event and now need rehabilitation, this program is designed to get patients back to the level of physical endurance and self-sufficiency that they enjoyed prior to their illness.

The three phases of rehabilitation for cardiac patients:

Phase 1: Educating patients who are hospitalized due to a heart attack or heart condition.

Phase 2: Helping patients with heart conditions and those recovering from a recent heart attack or bypass surgery begin a supervised and monitored outpatient exercise program.

Phase 3: Transitioning patients from Phase 2 to independence with a program supervised by exercise specialists that provide a bridge to independent exercise at Healthplex, Sarasota’s Memorial’s medical fitness center. All Sarasota Memorial patients can join Healthplex at a reduced rate following rehabilitation.

Medicare and most private plans cover the first two phases. Some plans also cover Phase III (check with your insurance provider).

During this specialized therapy, patients’ heart functions and rhythms are monitored while they advance through progressively higher activity levels so by the time of discharge stamina and endurance will be sufficient to support household tasks such as dressing, bathroom activities, stair climbing, light housework, and cooking.

A Cardiac rehabilitation program provides:

• Medical evaluation - Your health care team will assess your physical abilities, medical limitations and medical history, and review your risk factors for cardiovascular disease, stroke and high blood pressure. All of these factors help your team customize a program that safely meets your individual needs.

• Physical activity - Bed rest is no longer recommended if you have serious heart problems — it won't improve your health. Cardiac rehabilitation promotes a healthier heart through walking, cycling, rowing and other endurance activities. Strength training also helps to increase your muscular fitness. Don't worry if you've never exercised before. Your cardiac rehabilitation team will make sure the program moves at a comfortable and safe pace.
  
• Lifestyle education - Guidance about diet and nutrition helps you shed excess weight and learn to make healthier food choices aimed at reducing fat, sodium and cholesterol. You’ll get tips on breaking unhealthy habits, such as smoking. You also learn how to manage pain or fatigue that may accompany your heart condition. Cardiac rehabilitation also gives you ample opportunity to ask questions about such issues as medications and sexual activity.
  
• Individual support - Adjusting to a serious health problem takes time. You may experience depression or anxiety, lose touch with your social support system, or take time off from work. Counseling or vocational and occupational therapy teaches healthy coping skills.

Sarasota Memorial’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. To learn more about it, and how it can help you and your family, contact the Admissions office at: (941) 917-6139.

Back Behind the Wheel: Driver’s Assessment and Re-Education

Designed to evaluate and improve driver safety, the Sarasota Memorial Driver’s Assessment and Re-Education program is licensed by the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles and staffed by occupational therapists with advanced certification in driver evaluation and rehabilitation.

The program serves people recovering from health conditions that may affect their driving skills, including:

• Amputation
• Dementia and memory problems 
• Diabetes
• Healthy elderly
• Lower extremity paralysis
• Low vision
• Muscular dystrophy
• Multiple sclerosis 
• Orthopedic conditions 
• Parkinson’s disease 
• Spinal cord injuries
• Stroke Traumatic brain injuries    

A full assessment, completed over two days, includes:

A two-hour assessment of vision, thinking, visual perception, physical skills and reaction time and a two-hour behind-the-wheel assessment in a specially customized Driving Program car, beginning in a parking lot and then advancing into more complex traffic.

If you have memory problems, a second behind-the-wheel assessment is completed to determine consistency of performance.

As a special feature of the program, we also provide behind-the-wheel assessments in your community where the area is familiar. 

All information is communicated to the Department of Motor Vehicles, which makes the final determination about license retention based upon the information the program supplies.

Training

Training consists of in-vehicle education and practice in challenging situations, use of adaptive equipment and the correction of unsafe habits.

Referral

A physician's prescription requesting a driving assessment and listing a medical diagnosis is required for participation. A brief office screening is used to determine when a referral is warranted. The American Medical Association guidelines about referral to a driver re-training program are available at http://www.amaassn.org/ama/pub/category/10791.html .

Please Note: We are unable to evaluate and treat people who are obtaining their license for the first time or who must drive while seated in a wheelchair. The client must be able to perform a car transfer in order to participate in the program.

For more information, please call: (941) 917-2183.

Getting Back in the Swing: The Golf Performance Program

You not only want to feel up to par, you want to shoot it as well. After all, the Suncoast has more golf courses per capita than anywhere else in the United States. So Sarasota Memorial’s Golf Performance program is designed to help those devoted to the game, but whose performance has been challenged by their recovery, get back on course.

A licensed physical therapist with clinical expertise and a thorough knowledge of the game will do a comprehensive, sixty-minute physical evaluation then use the information gathered to develop a customized exercise program to build the strength and flexibility you need to improve the distance, accuracy, control of your swing. And possibly even correct your slice.

Tests performed during the evaluation include measurements of:

• Posture
• Balance
• Flexibility
• Strength
• Trunk, pelvis, shoulder stability
• Conditioning Level

However, we cannot promise a lower handicap.

For more information, please call: (941) 917-7600.

Hand Therapy

Hand therapy helps a patient regain maximum use of his or her hand after injury, surgery or the onset of disease. Treatment is provided by a hand therapist, someone who is first trained as an occupational or physical therapist and then recieves additional training in hand therapy.

Conditions treated include, but are not limited to:

• Arthritis
• Fractures
• Tendon injuries
• Peripheral nerve injuries
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Crush injuries
• Repetitive motion disorder

The scope of services offered includes:

• Wound and scar management
• Edema control
• Pain control
• Range of motion exercises
• Work hardening
• Work stimulation
• Strengthening Splint fabrication

Dexterity Training

Hand therapists teach exercises, apply modalities and create custom splints to help the hand heal and protect it from additional injury. People value the use of their hands and any loss of function through injury or accident may have a devastating effect on their lives. Anyone with an injury wants the very best of treatment to assure maximal recovery.

The intricate anatomy of the arm and hand frequently requires very delicate surgery, often with microscopic techniques. The technical complexity of these kinds of surgeries necessitates a high level of competence by therapists with advanced skills in upper quarter rehabilitation during postoperative recovery. Therapists must be knowledgeable about these advanced surgical techniques and postoperative therapy programs to become CHTs.

At Sarasota Memorial Healthcare, our Certified Hand Therapists (CHT) are occupational therapists with a minimum of five years of clinical experience, including 4,000 hours or more in direct practice in hand therapy.

Contact Rehabilitation Services for more information: (941) 917-1385.

Lymphedema Management Program

Patients with Lymphedema experience swelling associated with lymphatic fluid. This swelling is managed using non-invasive procedures such as manual lymph drainage, compression bandaging, exercise and associated skin and nail care.

Therapists certified in these specialized techniques educate and instruct patients in self-help techniques so they can manage primary or secondary lymphedema independently.

Individualized Treatment Programs

Based on the patient’s needs, treatment may include any or all of the following:

• Education about lymphedema, as well as precautions and lifestyle modification, and current management techniques
• Pre- and Post- Surgical Assessments for:
  

  *	Patients with secondary lymphedema
  *	Pre-operative baseline information on current daily functional levels
  *	Flexibility
  *	Strength
  *	Girth measurements; post-operative mobility, strength, girth assessments and assessment of functional limitations

• Treatment options
• Manual lymphatic therapy
• Gradient compression bandaging of the limb
• Exercise prescription for flexibility, strength and edema management
• Posture and breathing exercises
• Aerobic and conditioning exercises
• Compression pump
• Rehabilitation for:
  

  *	Limited range of motion
  *	Weakness of the affected limb
  *	Correcting muscle imbalances which may have resulted from surgery
  *	Fitness programs to restore pre-diagnosis activity levels

For more information, please call: (941) 917-1385.

Moving Towards Recovery: Neurological Outpatient Rehabilitation

An integral part of the Sarasota Memorial Neuroscience Center of Excellence, our outpatient neurological rehab program is for people recovering from neurological injury or illness such as stroke, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. The program, which continues therapy started in the hospital, is located at Sarasota Memorial’s Institute for Advanced Medicine.

Treatment plans are customized to help patients recover from, or adapt, to limitations so they can achieve their optimal level of independence. Our team of specialists meets weekly with patients and their families to discuss progress. The program includes guidance about:

• Community resources

• Disease/illness management
• Exercise
• Home set-up
• Nutrition
• Orthotics
• Social and emotional needs

For more information, please call: (941) 917-7600.

The Stroke Center Support Groups are specially designed to provide education, support and socialization so patients can share the challenges they face and how they are making progress.

For more information, please call: (941) 917- 7048 .

Back in Step: Custom Orthotics

Orthotic Specialists provide braces (orthoses) to patients of diverse age groups and diagnoses. who require support for their spine or extremity. Orthoses are custom designed and fabricated to meet an individual’s needs. The orthosis may be needed to reduce pain or to provide support to an extremity that has lost function due to damage to bones, ligaments, nerves or muscles.

Orthotics patients are referred by a physician for expert treatment of musculoskeletal, neurologic and systematic disorders.

Patients are seen in Rehab at The Institute for Advanced Medicine only.

Contact Rehabilitation Services at: (941) 917-7600.

Constant, nagging pain can destroy the quality of your life. But it doesn’t have to. From traditional treatments and medications to breakthrough interventional procedures - all tailored to meet your specific needs – Sarasota Memorial’s Care Centers at Blackburn Point and University Parkway offer the widest range of coordinated pain care services available in Southwest Florida to help bring you pain relief from:

• Back pain/Sciatica
• Cancer pain
• Central pain syndromes (from spinal cord/injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, etc.)
• Cervical (neck) pain
• Facial pain
• Failed back syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Headaches (including migraine)
• Myofascial pain
• Other neuropathic pain
• Pain of Shingles (Herpes Zoster/ Post Herpetic Neuralgia)
• Pelvic pain
• Phantom limb pain
• Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

Blackburn Point and University Parkway

Our rehab specialists are trained to help you manage many types of pain including comprehensive evaluation and treatment:

• AMA disability determination
• Biofeedback
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Functional capacity evaluation
• Medical evaluation
• Medical fitness
• Occupational therapy
• Patient educational programs
• Physical therapy
• Referral to individual and group therapy programs
• Referrals for psychological evaluations
• Rehabilitative evaluation
• Relaxation and stress management training
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation ( TENS)
• Vocational assessment

Learn more about our Pain Care Services.

Getting Back in the Game: Rehabilitation for Sports Injuries

Whether you’re a serious athlete or just playing the occasional round of golf or tennis, you may sustain an injury that requires rehab. Sarasota Memorial’s rehab therapists, athletic trainers and exercise physiologists specialize in treating sports-related and orthopedic injuries. Their expertise and experience ensures a quick and safe return to the pleasures of your sport.

Our sports injury programs offer:

• Physical therapy for sports related and orthopedic injuries
• Custom foot orthotics (insoles)
• Free injury screenings
• Therapeutic and Neuromuscular Massage Therapy
• Aquatic therapy

Treatment is available at the following locations:

Rehab at The Institute for Advanced Medicine
5880 Rand Blvd.
Sarasota , FL
( 941) 917-7600

Rehab at University Parkway
5350 University Parkway
Sarasota , FL
( 941) 917- 4516

Rehab at Blackburn Point
929 S. Tamiami Trail
Osprey, FL
(941) 917- 2156

Rehab at The Heart & Vascular Institute
1540 S. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota , FL
(941) 917- 6574

For more information, please call: (941) 917-1385.

Applause, Applause: Performing Artists Rehabilitation

The smell of the greasepaint, the roar of the crowd. Sarasota is an arts town that treasures its artists. So Sarasota Memorial’s team of medical specialists, including physicians, sports physical therapists, occupational therapists, exercise physiologists, and speech and language pathologists, offer a fully integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to getting you back to where you belong - in front of an audience.

Focused on Your Performance

Our goal is not to simply treat your injury, but to get you ready for the rigors of performance – and your curtain calls.

So you’re ready when the curtain goes up, emphasis is on early intervention and on keeping your body – your instrument – in good physical condition, so complications such as loss of endurance and muscle stiffness can be avoided. In addition to traditional evaluation measures, we carefully review your training techniques, inspect the equipment you use, and even do biomechanical activity analysis. We then provide you with training guidelines to promote performance and prevent re-injury so that the show can go on.

A Range of Services for All Types of Injuries

We treat all types of injuries affecting performing artists, from tendonitis, sprains, muscle strains and carpal tunnel syndrome to myofascial, neck and back pain. We also provide comprehensive rehabilitation following surgical procedures.

So you’re ready when the curtain goes up, our services include:

• Medical assessment and treatment, physical therapy, occupational therapy, voice therapy, or hand therapy
• Physical conditioning
• Evaluation for musical instrument modification
• Music and dance technique assessment
• Movement re-education
• Psychological services for anxiety and stress management
• Educational programs for dancers, musicians, professional speakers, and parents
• On-site personal training and medical fitness services
• Pilates Equipment at the Healthplex Fitness Center

Call (941) 917-7600 to learn more about Sarasota Memorial’s programs for performing artists.