While many people in the area are aware of the excellent inpatient treatment available at the St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center in Lawrenceville, they are often not aware that those same services are also available on an outpatient basis.
Because the Outpatient Health Center is situated within an inpatient complex, the type of services offered are often more extensive than at many physical therapy locations, explains Lisa Luskin, director of Outpatient Services. “We treat everything from neck and back pain, vertigo, and sports injuries to to brain injury or stroke or other life-altering neurological events,” she says.
The center’s extensive range of services includes physiatry (physicians who specialize in physical medicine & rehabilitation), physical, occupational, and speech therapy; psychology and neuropsychology, and driver evaluation and training.
The center is able to effectively treat the most complex medical cases with a highly skilled staff, innovative treatment procedures, and a variety of specialized programs. St. Lawrence is also a recognized Clinical Center of Excellence for the Ness H-200 Neuroprosthetic Rehabilitation Program, designed to improve arm function through a splint combined with electrical stimulation. The Ness H-200 program and VitalStim therapy are two examples of the innovative treatment procedures being used by the center’s skilled staff to help its patients reach their highest level of function.
“Along with our service we have a great atmosphere that everyone who comes here notices. There is an openness and an interaction both between the patients and the staff and between all of the patients who come here,” she adds. “Many of our patients tell us they enjoy coming so much they wish they could continue even when it is no longer necessary.”
Outpatients usually find out about the service through their own physician. “A person might go to their family doctor because of a problem with pain in a joint or an injury,” she explains. Particularly with chronic problems, though, a doctor may recommend medication rather than physical therapy. While medication may help and may treat some of the symptoms, she explains, it often takes therapy to get to the source of the problem and fix it.
“If you are experiencing pain, weakness, or even dizziness, suggest physical therapy to your doctor if he or she doesn’t mention it,” she suggests. “It is always good for the patient to be an advocate for him or herself.
For more information or to set up an appointment, call 609-896-2515.
