Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Programs & Services

Aquatic therapy is used for general conditioning, improving movement, strength, and function, as well as reducing pain.

Our pools provide a comfortable environment for exercise since the buoyancy provided by the water assists in supporting the weight of the patient, thereby decreasing the amount of joint stress and making it easier and less painful to perform exercises. The warmth of the water promotes movement and reduced pain and the water resistance allows for muscle strengthening without the need for weights.

Our warm-water aquatic physical therapy takes place in an easily accessible, specially designed pool. The pool floor raises and lowers to 6 feet, so it’s easy to get into and out of the water without stairs or ladders. The floor has a built-in treadmill, so you can go for a slow walk or run at speeds up to 7.5 mph.

If you suspect that you or someone you know has experienced a concussion, it is important to seek an assessment from a concussion expert immediately and manage the concussion through complete recovery. 

Our Concussion Program is dedicated to the management and treatment of concussions in adolescents and adults through use of a variety of innovative techniques and a combination of advanced technology. Depending upon your specific symptoms, your treatment team may consist of a physician, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, medical psychologist, and/or athletic trainer.

Hand therapy promotes healing and helps restore your functioning, whether it’s for home, work or sports.

Our hand therapy programs are staffed by occupational and physical therapists who specialize in upper limb rehabilitation. Many are Certified Hand Therapists or are working toward certification by the Hand Therapy Certification Commission. Their advanced training, continuing education and independent study ensure that our therapists are highly skilled in non-operative and post-operative treatments for injuries of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand.

Your individualized treatment plan may include:

• Custom splinting
• Education on how to protect your joints to improve their function
• Individualized instruction on exercises
• Edema and scar management
• Strategies for pain control

Lymphedema is a common side effect of some cancer treatments, including surgery or radiation therapy. The resulting blockage prevents fluid from draining sufficiently, causing it to collect in the fatty tissue under the skin, most often in the arms and/or legs. The risk grows with the number of lymph nodes affected.

Through our Lymphedema Management Program, your care team will work to reduce the swelling to improve your comfort and function. We provide:

• Evaluation - A comprehensive assessment of the limb can help determine the best treatment path.
• Treatment - Many cases require Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT), including massage to help drain lymphatic fluid, therapeutic exercise, and compression techniques to reduce your swelling and increase your mobility.
• Education - We will teach you easy self-massage, compression and exercise techniques so you can continue managing your condition at home.

Our experienced and caring pediatric rehabilitation team provides consultation and treatment for a wide range of conditions, including:

• Outpatient Neurological Rehabilitation: the Neurological Rehab center at Ridgeway offers the only CARF-accredited pediatric rehabilitation of its kind in Western New York. Because we understand the unique needs of children – and their families – our team is with you every step of the way. In a special kid-friendly environment, we care for children who have suffered from stroke and brain injuries.
• Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: working in conjunction with pediatric orthopaedic surgeons, we help your child move toward a full recovery from their injury, whether it’s a fracture, sprain, or post-surgical rehabilitation.
• Pediatric Concussion Program: our team will help ensure that your child can function well at both home and school. After discharge, we will continue to work with their school or other therapy providers to get your child the care and services they need.

Injuries are common when participating in training activities, fitness, and sports. Often, poor training methods, a lack of conditioning, or not enough time spent warming up cause sports-related injuries.

Physical therapy helps people regain movement and strength in their bodies after an injury, and can help manage their pain while preventing further damage and recurring problems.

Common sports injuries we see include:

• Pulled muscles
• Ankle injuries
• Knee injuries
• Shin splints
• Hip injuries
• Elbow injuries
• Shoulder injuries
• Spinal injuries

Following a total joint replacement, your physical therapist will tailor your exercises to address your specific goals, and get you back on track to doing the activities you love. Your individualized exercise plan may include:

• Range-of-motion exercises
• Strengthening exercises
• Balance training
• Activity-specific training
• Functional training
• Aquatic therapy exercises

Because of the unpredictability and uncertainty of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), we offer a wide range of therapy treatments dedicated to helping you find the power to overcome the many of its symptoms

By working with healthcare professionals such as neurologists and neuropsychologists, our physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists can build a treatment plan designed to help you manage symptoms, prevent unnecessary complications, control disease progression and minimize disability.

Our CARF-accredited interdisciplinary outpatient medical rehabilitation program for neurological conditions provides comprehensive rehabilitation services for patients of all ages suffering from:

• Brain injury due to trauma, cerebral hemorrhage, infection, a tumor or oxygen deprivation (anoxia or hypoxia)
• Limb loss where therapy can help you regain the ability to walk, move and manage other daily activities. We also provide emotional support, show you how to care for your residual limb, and consult with prosthetists on managing or modifying your prosthesis/artificial limb.
• Spinal cord injury that causes partial or complete loss of feeling and movement, depending on the extent and location of the injury. We’ll work with you to increase your strength and function and show you how to compensate or move in new ways when necessary.
• Stroke, which can be a life-changing event, causing physical, verbal and mental side effects. Our individualized stroke rehabilitation program combines state-of-the-art therapies with compassionate care to help you regain your quality of life, including addressing issues such as address issues with one-sided weakness or inattention
• Comprehensive medical rehabilitation for serious conditions that cause your body to lose its strength and stamina, such as: Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or Guillain Barré.

As part of a nationally recognized brain injury and stroke rehabilitation program, our exceptional team of physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists will help you restore your independence and rebuild your lives.

Our team of highly skilled neurologic physical, occupational, and speech therapists, many certified in Parkinson’s-specific programs such as PWR!, Speak Out!, and LSVT LOUD, will work one-on-one with you to help combat your symptoms.

• Our therapists perform tests which help assess your condition and design a treatment plan to address specific needs or deficits.
• Physical Therapy will combine aerobic, balance, flexibility, and strength-based training to assist in minimizing the symptoms of slow movements, small movements, stiffness, and tremors. Physical Therapists will work with you to help improve mobility-related activities like walking and managing stairs.
• Occupational Therapy will focus on improving your ability to perform activities of daily living (i.e., dressing, bathing, cooking, cleaning, etc.), work on fine motor coordination, and provide recommendations for adaptive equipment. Our Occupational Therapists also perform pre-driver screenings, if recommended by your physician.
• Speech Therapists will create a series of speech, voice, and cognitive exercises to strengthen the muscles used for speaking and swallowing and work on strategies for your memory and thinking skills.
• Your therapists will also assist in providing resources for local community fitness options once discharged from therapy.

Parkinson's Education and Support Group is our monthly Parkinson’s Disease support group/educational series. Sessions are scheduled on the third Wednesday of each month at 1 PM. For more information, please contact Sarah Wolf at Sarah.Wolf2@rochesterregional.org.

Rochester Regional Health's Physical Therapy team offers pelvic floor physical therapy to help patients find relief from musculoskeletal problems including:

• Incontinence
• Pelvic pain
• Underactive or overactive pelvic floor muscles
• Injury and trauma
• Dyspareunia
• Pelvic floor dysfunction
• Vaginal or rectal surgery

We offer a range of treatments to help reduce your symptoms, including:

• Bladder control training
• Electrical stimulation
• Ergonomics and body mechanics training – Teaches you how to sit, stand and complete daily tasks more comfortably
• Pelvic floor and core exercises
• Manual therapy and myofascial release
• Relaxation techniques

Giving birth is arguably the most strenuous athletic and physical event of a woman’s life. The body undergoes changes that can create pain, pressure, or discomfort that may not go away after the baby arrives. Our goal is to treat these problems and ensure your wellness and dignity.

Our therapists will work with you to develop a customized program. We treat a range of musculoskeletal problems that mothers often experience during or after pregnancy, including:

• Altered posture
• Shortened muscles
• Muscular imbalance
• Changes in mobility
• Pain in the pelvis, back and hips
• Abdominal weakness/diastasis recti
• Muscle imbalance that can affect the ability to control bodily functions

Driving is a demanding, dynamic and cognitively complex activity. The Pre-Driver's Screening Test is used as a source of information in determining a person’s readiness to return to driving following a neurological condition such as a stroke or another type of brain injury. It may also be used to help determine the driving status of an elder with cognitive problems or dementia.

The Pre-Driver's Screening test is conducted by an Occupational Therapist over two to three sessions. It evaluates:

• Driving knowledge
• Driving judgment situations
• Upper and lower extremity strength
• Range of motion and coordination of function
• Visual acuity
• Cognitive screening
• Visual-perception screen
• Accelerator to brake pedal reaction time

The results are sent to the physician who will use them (as well as other sources of information) to decide whether a patient is ready to return to driving.

Vestibular disorders are conditions or injuries that damage the vestibular system — the parts of the inner ear and brain that help control balance and eye movements. Symptoms may mirror a concussion and include dizziness, unsteadiness, nausea, headaches, blurry vision, and “vertigo”.

Our highly trained physical therapists provide vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT), an exercise-based program that reduces symptoms of a vestibular disorder that may include:

• Head re-positioning techniques to reduce or eliminate vertigo
• Ocular motor retraining
• Balance activities
• Habituation exercises

The goals of VRT are 1) to enhance gaze stability, 2) to enhance postural stability, 3) to improve vertigo, and 4) to improve activities of daily living.