Physical Therapy
& Customized
Exercise Programs
What is Physical Therapy?
Physical Therapy involves evaluating, educating, and treating patients who are suffering from limited physical function due to surgery, injury, chronic conditions, or disease. Physical therapy aims to alleviate the patient's symptoms and help the patient regain the highest degree of function possible.
During your treatment, you may:
What to Expect at
MultiCare Therapy Center
We have developed our programs incorporating input from referring physicians and standards of patient care.
We aim to implement and address your treatment goals as quickly and safely as possible. We encourage all patients to communicate their desires and concerns with their team leader to receive appropriate care and support to treat their condition effectively.
At your first visit, you will receive a complete evaluation performed by your therapist. This evaluation will consider your physician's orders and specific tests used to determine your deficits and current level of function. Your therapist will then work with you to establish short- and long-term goals for your course of therapy and begin to work toward these goals using a variety of specific exercises and therapy modalities. Subsequent visits will continue to work towards these goals. Each visit will last approximately one hour. It is important to arrive on time to allow the therapist enough time to provide the treatment that has been established for you. Patients will be discharged when they have achieved their goals or "peaked" and failed to progress further.
Our facility is warm and inviting. We believe that a patient will be more committed to fulfilling his treatment objectives in an environment where he feels welcome and relaxed. Additionally, our facility is easily accessible and fully compliant with all ADA standards.
Our goal at MultiCare Therapy Center is to help patients return to a more active lifestyle. We use therapeutic exercise, customized home exercise programs, and an interdisciplinary team approach to help patients achieve and maintain a maximum level of independent functioning.
In some cases, a consultation by our Licensed Clinical Social Worker or our Registered Dietitian may be indicated as part of the patient's treatment. These professionals will work as a part of the patient's care "team."
MultiCare Therapy Center's Physical Therapy Professionals Can Help With
Occupational Therapy
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapy is the science of evaluating and treating injuries and conditions of the upper extremity (shoulder, arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, and hand). It uses several therapeutic interventions to help return a person to their highest level of function. It evolved from the need for a specialist with the knowledge and experience required to manage the challenging recovery of complex hand and upper extremity injuries.
Patients candidates for Occupational Therapy may have been affected by an accident or trauma, leaving them with wounds, scars, burns, injured tendons or nerves, fractures, or even amputations of the fingers, hands, or arms. Others include patients who suffer from cumulative conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow and chronic problems such as arthritis or a neurological condition.
Occupational Therapists work closely with orthopedic and general surgeons who specialize in the hand to ensure maximal outcomes for patients. Occupational therapists bridge the gap from medical management of upper extremity conditions to successful recovery, allowing individuals to function normally in their daily lives.
Occupational Therapists' non-operative interventions provide preventative care and post-surgical rehabilitation for a wide variety of upper extremity disorders, from simple fingertip injuries to complex replanted extremities. Patients with chronic conditions, such as arthritis, or neurologic conditions, such as a stroke, can benefit from therapy through education on joint protection and energy conversation and recommendations for adaptive equipment or devices to improve function. An occupational therapist employs various techniques and tools, including activity and exercise programs, custom orthotic fabrication, management of pain and swelling, and wound and scar care. We design individual programs based on patients' conditions and individual needs. Our goal with occupational therapy is to help patients return to independent, productive, and satisfying lives.
In House
Custom Splinting
Your doctor may refer you for custom splinting following an acute or traumatic injury, following surgery, or after a CVA (stroke) or other neurological condition. Custom splints are braces made of thermoplastic material fabricated in our office and molded to the specific needs and anatomy of the patient. Splinting may be clinically recommended to decrease pain or edema, offer immobilization and protection during healing, or increase or maintain range of motion and prevent tightness or deformity.
What to Expect at
MultiCare Therapy Center
We have developed our programs incorporating input from referring physicians and standards of patient care. We aim to implement and address your treatment goals as quickly and safely as possible. We encourage all patients to communicate their desires and concerns with their therapist to receive appropriate care and support to treat their condition effectively.
At your first visit, you will receive a complete evaluation performed by your therapist. This evaluation will consider your physician's orders and specific tests used to determine your deficits and current level of function. Your therapist will then work with you to establish short- and long-term goals for your course of therapy and begin to work toward these goals using a variety of specific exercises and therapy modalities. Subsequent visits will continue to work toward these goals. Each visit will be approximately one hour. It is important to arrive on time to allow the therapist enough time to provide the treatment that has been established for you. Patients will be discharged when they have achieved their goals or "peaked" and failed to progress further.
Occupational Therapy Can Help With
Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Pulmonary Rehabilitation at MultiCare Therapy Center
Upon your doctor's referral, you will receive a thorough evaluation by a Licensed Respiratory Therapist in conjunction with the other members of the Care Team. Your evaluation may include specific baseline tests and other methods of determining your current level of functioning. Your therapist will work with you to set short- and long-term goals for your individualized program.
During your first session, you will begin with an orientation to your program. After that, you will participate in educational activities, a progressive exercise program, and counseling sessions, as needed. Your exercise program will begin at a level based on your current level of functioning and will slowly progress toward your goals. The exercise program will consist of aerobic conditioning activities such as paced walking or exercise bicycling and other exercises to improve your strength and endurance. Attention will be given to both upper and lower body muscle groups.
You will come to sessions two to three times each week, and each session will last approximately 1-1/2 hours. Additionally, you will be given an exercise plan to continue at home at least one to two times per week.
Patients who "graduate" from the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program will have the opportunity to enroll in our Maintenance Program and continue with the new healthy life habits that they have developed.
Our goal is to provide you with knowledge, skills, and improved physical function to help you live better with COPD.
How does Pulmonary Rehabilitation Work?
Pulmonary rehabilitation is an education and exercise program for people with chronic lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, bronchiectasis, and interstitial lung disease. The Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at MultiCare Therapy Center combines education, exercises for endurance, strength and lung training, functional activities, and emotional support. Our program aims to increase a person's quality of life and restore a person's lung function or restore it to the highest possible level. We also address the person's emotional and dietary needs, if indicated.
Goals of Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Who is involved in the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program?
Our Pulmonary Rehabilitation Team consists of a Medical Director (physician), Licensed Respiratory Therapists, and rehabilitation therapists, including Licensed Physical Therapists, Licensed Occupational Therapists, Licensed Clinical Social Workers and Registered Dietitians. The multidisciplinary staff works together to communicate with the patient's referring physician, evaluate a patient's overall physical and emotional state, and develop an individualized plan for that patient.
Exercise is a key part of a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program. People with chronic lung disease may limit their physical activities because they may be afraid of becoming short of breath. When you become inactive, your muscles weaken, making it harder to breathe. The physical activities in your individualized exercise program will improve your heart and lung function. As a result, you will be able to pursue activities that you would normally not have tried. The exercise program will also help you become physically fit and help you gain control of your breathing.
Exercise will also improve your lung muscle strength, allowing you to breathe easier and effectively. Data and studies show that people with COPD benefit greatly from strengthening their inspiratory breathing muscles and their expiratory breathing muscles (muscles used for breathing in and out). Most people who exercise will feel better physically and mentally and sleep more soundly and longer at night.