Overview
The Lovelace rehabilitation difference
We believe in making you, not just your rehabilitation, the focus of your treatment. We care about your quality of life and your goals. We care about providing you with the highest quality of care, using the best technology and the best physicians. We pride ourselves on providing a multidisciplinary care team.
Our treatment programs are intensive and coordinated to help you regain and maintain as much independence as possible in an effort to return you to a healthy lifestyle.
Physical Therapy
Dedicated to helping patients achieve their rehabilitation goals
The goal of our dedicated rehabilitation team is to provide greater strength, endurance, balance, coordination, range of motion and mobility to patients who are recovering from injuries or surgeries, as well as patients with bone, muscle and nerve disorders.
- Aquatics programs
- Balance and vestibular rehabilitation
- Brain injury program
- Breast cancer rehabilitation
- Certified wheelchair evaluations
- Concussion therapy and testing program
- Continence program
- Fall prevention
- Foot and ankle rehabilitation
- Gynecological Cancer Rehabilitation Program
- Hand and upper extremity rehabilitation
- Interventional pain clinic
- Lymphedema program
- Massage therapy
- Neurological disorders
- Neuropsychology
- Pelvic floor rehabilitation
- Pregnancy and Postpartum Program
- Psychology
- Runner's Clinic
- Spinal cord injury
- Sports injuries
- Sports Metrics™ ACL Injury Prevention Program
- Stroke program
Occupational Therapy
Our goal is to get patients back to living their best lives
Our highly-skilled occupational therapists are qualified to treat patients recovering from:
- Neurological degenerative diseases
- Orthopedic injuries
- Spinal cord injury
- Stroke
- Traumatic brain injuries
There are many different diagnosis that Occupational Therapy can treat. For a quick reference of different ailments that can be treated with Occupational Therapy versus Physical Therapy, click here.
Occupational Health
We are committed to providing education on workplace safety, body mechanics and ergonomics to prevent injuries before they happen. We understand that prevention is safer, easier and more cost effective than rehabilitation, surgeries or other medical treatments.
Functional testing, functional capacity evaluations and ergonomic analyses are offered to ensure a healthy work force. We perform thorough and multifaceted evaluations to match the worker's physical abilities to the critical physical demands of the work.
The benefits of testing include:
- Injury prevention
- Empowering employees and employers to intervene when work activities bring on symptoms or problems - before there is a need for time off of work
- Test objectively the worker's physical abilities
- Develop work rehab programs that increase the employee's ability to return to regular job duties
SLP
Speech-Language Pathology
The outpatient speech-language pathology department offers a wide range of services related to the evaluation and treatment of speech, language, cognitive, swallowing and voice issues in adult and pediatric populations (over 2 years of age). We utilize a multidisciplinary approach and consult with physicians on an ongoing basis during treatment.
Common Referral Diagnosis
- Cognitive impairment
- Stroke
- Swallowing disorders
- Parkinson’s disease
- Reduced intelligibility/speech disorder
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Voice disorder
- Genetic disorders
- Fluency disorder
- Neurological conditions
Voice Disorders
In partnership with referring otolaryngologists, the Voice & Dysphagia program is equipped to evaluate and treat a wide variety of disorders.
Commonly Seen Disorders
- Voice evaluation with use of instrumentation, including VisiPitch software and equipment
- Voice recording and analysis
- Voice laryngostroboscopy
- Flexible and/or rigid laryngoscopy for vocal fold imaging and visual biofeedback
- SPEAK OUT!
- Hoarseness
- Vocal cord dysfunction
- Muscle tension dysphonia
- Neurologic voice disorders
- Reinke’s edema
- Spasmodic dysphonia
- Vocal cord granuloma
- Vocal fold immobility/paresis
- Cancer of the larynx
- Laryngitis
- Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD)
- Psychogenic voice disorder
- Vocal cord atrophy
- Vocal cord growths
- Vocal cord scarring
Dysphagia
The Lovelace UNM Rehabilitation Hospital provides evaluation and treatment of swallowing issues related to a variety of diagnoses. Among the most commonly seen are neurological impairments, traumatic brain injury, progressive diseases and head and neck cancer.
- “Bedside Swallow Assessment”
- Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallow (FEES)
- Video swallow capabilities
- Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation technique, in conjunction with specific exercises to strengthen the impaired muscle function
- Visual biofeedback with the use of nasoendoscopy
- Education and training for patients and caregivers regarding diet precautions and compensatory strategies
Parkinson's Program
Parkinson's Therapy Program
We are pleased to offer a two-part, 8-week speech and physical/occupational therapy program to help individuals with Parkinson’s disease. This program is designed to help patients regain and maintain quality of life throughout the progression of Parkinson’s. Our clinicians are certified in a variety of evidence based Parkinson’s specific therapy programs.
Physical Therapy
Our Physical Therapy (PT) teams utilize LSVT BIG® to increase movement from head to toe to improve walking, balance and other activities of daily living. This program drives high-intensity with high-effort practice to help teach patients how to recognize that movements with increased amplitude are actually within normal range of motion.
Occupational Therapy
Our Occupational Therapy (OT) teams provide the PWR!Moves® and LSVT BIG® programs. Occupational therapy is used to help patients continue with their daily tasks as their disease progresses. Daily tasks include engaging in activities the patient wants to, needs to, or is expected to do. Our therapists may assess the patients mobility, fall prevention, sit-to-stand transfers, bed mobility, posture and seating, eating and drinking, self-care routines, fatigue management, domestic skills (meal preparation, housework, shopping, etc.), as well as handwriting. OTs also offer support to changes in relationship dynamics to promote normal, daily routines for Parkinson's patients.
Speech-Language Pathology
Our Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) are certified in SPEAK OUT!®. This program places emphasis on speaking with intent and converting speech from an automatic function to an intentional act. By working through a series of speech, voice, and cognitive exercises with the goal of increasing vocal volume and strengthening the muscles used for speaking and swallowing, our SLP’s help Parkinson's patients regain and maintain effective communication.
Forever Maintenance Program
Upon completion of this two-part, 8-week program, our patients are invited to participate in weekly group sessions led by our certified clinicians. The exercises are performed and group members provide support, encouragement, and accountability to one another.
Along with daily home practice and a recommended evaluation every 6 months, our program has been shown to help patients maintain their independence, mobility, swallowing, and communication skills throughout the progression of their Parkinson’s Disease.
