Rehabilitation services at Ryder Trauma are focused in three areas:

• Brain injuries
• Orthopaedic and spinal cord injuries
• Pediatric injuries (age 16 and under)

Other types of rehabilitation therapy are provided through various UHealth Jackson Rehabilitation Care programs and in the health system’s free-standing rehabilitation center, the Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial.

While rehabilitation generally begins as soon as the patient is stabilized, therapists may be called upon to evaluate a patient at an even earlier stage. Early intervention helps patients regain the maximum level of function as quickly as possible.

The center’s therapists assess the patient’s motor functions, ability to perform activities of daily living, communication skills and cognitive skills, such as memory and reasoning. Together with the center’s social workers, the therapists also evaluate the patient’s family resources, home, and work environments.

Physical and occupational therapists help patients regain control of their muscles, while speech pathologists and respiratory therapists focus on speech, breathing, and swallowing. Vocational and recreational therapists look at lifestyle and job-related skills. Learning to feed oneself, take a bath, get dressed, or prepare a meal are major victories for some patients. Others must face issues relating to driving, going back to school or work, or interacting with others in a new way.

The Center’s neurological rehabilitation program helps brain-injured patients regain as many of their skills as possible so they can resume an independent life. Adult patients typically stay in the inpatient program for 30 to 45 days and a day treatment program is also available.