Specialties & Services

Spinal Rehabilitation (Rehab)

Spinal rehabilitation (rehab) involves special therapies that help you cope with temporary or permanent effects of spine conditions. You deserve outstanding care, which is why you should put your trust in us. We offer advanced therapies to accelerate healing and help you make the most of your abilities.

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Why choose us for spinal rehabilitation?

BJC HealthCare works with WashU Medicine Physicians, BJC Medical Group, and providers across the region to deliver extraordinary care. You receive services from highly qualified providers specializing in spinal cord injuries and disorders. Our team includes neurologists, physical medicine doctors, certified rehab nurses, and experienced therapists. We work together to help you regain the highest level of function so you can get back to your daily life.

Highlights of our program include:

  • Novel approach: We help patients with spinal cord injuries quickly recover as much movement and sensation as possible using intense physical rehabilitation. It involves electrical stimulation to evoke muscle movement, so you can perform light physical activity. This method optimizes your body’s ability to regain nervous system functioning.
  • Convenience: Our comprehensive and connected approach helps you receive appropriate care precisely when you need it. Rehabilitation often starts in the inpatient setting, either at the bedside or in special on-site gyms. After discharge, you continue your recovery in rehab clinics located throughout the St. Louis region.
  • Compassion: Our team understands how advanced spine conditions can complicate your life, which is why we start with listening. We want to know as much as possible about your symptoms, challenges, and goals. This information enables us to tailor spinal rehabilitation to your needs and preferences.
  • Special services: We support and empower you through every stage of your care journey. Our wheelchair seating and positioning services help people find the right option. Case managers and social workers coordinate additional services that take some of the stress out of recovering from a severe spine condition.

What is spinal rehabilitation?

Your spinal cord runs from your brain down through your spine. Your brain sends messages out to your body through your spinal cord. These messages help you move your body parts, like when you pick up a cup or walk to the mailbox. As you go about daily tasks, messages travel from your arms, legs, and the rest of your body back to your brain through your spinal cord.

A spinal cord injury can prevent your brain and body from communicating normally. If you've had a spinal cord injury, you may need surgery or other treatments to fix the injury. After, you may need to spend time in a rehabilitation facility, or "rehab," as part of your recovery.

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Our highly trained team of specialists offers advanced treatments as well as compassionate, personalized care.

Spinal rehabilitation services and treatments

At BJC, you have access to a broad range of therapies, including equipment and technologies that are not widely available. Your rehabilitation plan may include:

Aquatic therapy

 You perform special exercises in a small therapy pool. Doing so helps you get moving with less strain on your back, neck, or spine.

Bioness L300 Go® and H200

 These wearable rehabilitative devices use electrical stimulation to evoke foot and hand movements.

LiteGait harness

 A special harness supports your body weight while you re-learn to walk.

MOTOmed Movement Therapy

 This adaptive equipment makes it possible to exercise with your arms or legs while sitting in a wheelchair.

NeoFect Smart Glove

 This wearable device measures forearm, wrist, and finger movements with high precision.

Pressure mapping

 We use special technology to assess weight distribution while you’re sitting. It helps us identify areas at risk for skin damage and pressure ulcers.

SpineGym and rickshaw

 This adaptive gym equipment enables people in wheelchairs to do resistance training with weights.

Standing frame

 This device enables a person to stand safely and work lower extremity muscles in ways that are not possible in a wheelchair.

Spinal rehabilitation: what to expect

Our team develops a rehabilitation plan tailored to your needs. Then physical and occupational therapists work with you one on one to help you meet your goals. We use research-based methods and advanced technologies that give you the best chances for healing.

Your care may include:

  • Strength and balance training
  • Technology-assisted leg or hand movements
  • Education about how to use a wheelchair
  • Adaptive equipment that helps you complete everyday tasks
  • Family caregiver training to help loved ones support your ability to navigate your home and community
  • Recommendations for durable medical equipment that create a safe home environment

Inpatient spinal rehabilitation starts shortly after an injury or surgery for advanced spinal disorders. Upon discharge, if it’s not safe for you to go home, we transfer you to a rehabilitation facility. Rehabilitation often continues in outpatient clinics with rehab gyms.

Conditions we treat with spinal rehabilitation

Spinal rehab helps to speed up the return of significant function. It may provide symptom relief or help you cope with changes in your abilities due to the following conditions:

  • Broken neck or back
  • Herniated or ruptured discs
  • Spinal arthritis (spondylosis)
  • Scoliosis
  • Spinal fracture
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Spondylolisthesis

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