Houston Rehabilitation Hospital

Stroke Rehabilitation

At HealthSouth, our unique team approach to rehabilitation
emphasizes the stroke patient, the family and the
primary care physician. Disabilities resulting from a
cerebral vascular accident can be varied and require
specialized interventions. By utilizing data from an initial
comprehensive evaluation, a plan for each patient’s
treatment is developed.

Therapeutic Objectives

Reorganize cognitive skills and learn to compensate for deficits
Improve expression and understanding of spoken, written and nonverbal communication
Re-educate involved extremities to produce improved balance, coordination and mobility
Improve range of motion, strength and enduranceAssist the patient and family in emotional adjustment to the trauma of disability

Clinical Staff

The effects of a stroke may vary from speech and mental impairment to severe physical disability combined with emotional and cognitive involvement. To meet the various needs of these patients, HealthSouth has assembled a team of rehabilitation professionals with the ability to pinpoint specific needs and set specific goals in order to maximize recovery. Actively involved in evaluation and goal setting for optimal results are representatives from physiatry, neurology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech/language pathology, social work, nutrition, rehabilitation nursing and psychology.

Admission

HealthSouth accepts patients on a referral basis and provides services without regard to age, sex, color, race, national origin, creed or disability.
Patient should have a degree of physical and/or cognitive impairments that warrant intensive inpatient rehabilitation
Patient must demonstrate capacity to learn and retain an acquired ability or information from day to day
Patient must be medically stable

Special Features

Stroke adjustment groups led by psychologist and
clinical social worker
Dysphagia team includes radiographic studies to
determine extent of disability, as well as a swallowing
retraining program
Follow-up clinic provides evaluation four weeks after
discharge

Program Phases

Inpatient Rehabilitation
Day Program
Outpatient Rehabilitation
Wellness Program
National Rehabilitation Caucus

Auto Ambulator

HealthSouth is doing more than offering the latest healthcare technologies – it’s creating them. With the AutoAmbulator™, HealthSouth brings cuttingedge
technology into the rehabilitation process. The AutoAmbulator is an innovative therapeutic device designed to help rehabilitate patients who experience
difficulty walking.

Patients with gait disorders often experience problems with balance, coordination and posture. An abnormal walking pattern requires more energy and often results in decreased functional ability for even the simplest activities in daily life. For those with a walking impairment, the AutoAmbulator may help advance their rehabilitation process.

The AutoAmbulator is a sophisticated treadmill device unparalleled in its ability to help patients replicate normal walking patterns. Using the therapeutic concept of body weight-supported ambulation and robotics, the AutoAmbulator simulates normal walking motion.

Whether an individual has been recently injured or has been unable to walk for years, the AutoAmbulator may be used to improve function. Patients referred to HealthSouth for treatment as a result of a gait disorder have the opportunity to ambulate in a safe environment sooner than they would in a traditional rehabilitation program.

Features

The Food and Drug Administration in 2002 granted HealthSouth permission to begin using the AutoAmbulator. Designed with numerous safety features, the AutoAmbulator safely maintains the patient upright while robotics assist the patient’s legs during ambulation over a treadmill. Intelligent programs power the AutoAmbulator through its integrated computer system, while sensors track numerous functions, continuously monitoring and adjusting power and speed according to each patient’s physical requirements.

Allows the patient to contribute to the movement but
provides remaining force to generate the movement
Synchronized robotic legs allow patients to walk safely, utilizing normal gait patterns.
Designed to allow therapists to safely adjust the amount of weight bearing to each patient’s individual
rehabilitation plan
Speed of walking can be varied to patient’s tolerance and gradually increased to reproduce gait patterns that simulate normal walking.
To eliminate risk of injury, safety features automatically shut down the machine when an adverse event occurs, such as a severe spasm or if the patient’s foot improperly strikes the treadmill.

Indications

Neurological conditions:
- Stroke (CVA)
- Spinal cord injury (SCI) - complete and incomplete
- Traumatic brain injury
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Other neurological conditions that result in gait abnormality
Orthopedic conditions that result in gait abnormality
Patients who are debilitated from deconditioning or prolonged illness

Stroke Rehabilitation

HIP Fracture Rehabilitation

Ventillator Care

HealthSouth Hospitals offer specialized programs for stroke survivors. A physiatrist, a doctor specially trained in physical medical and rehabilitation, directs our stroke rehabilitations programs and is assisted by an experienced rehabililtation nursing and therapy staff.

HealthSouth Houston is the nation’s largest provider of inpatient rehabilitative healthcare services.

At HealthSouth Hospital of Houston, We offer clinical, technical and professional resources necessary to provide programs that promote ventilator wearing and progress toward recovery.