Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is a key component of recovery for those with injuries or conditions that affect mobility, function or speech. At The University of Kansas Health System, we offer a complete range of rehabilitation services. Our programs provide comprehensive, compassionate and customized care to help you reach your goals.

The University of Kansas Health System provides comprehensive rehabilitation services for people in Kansas City, Overland Park and the surrounding areas.

What is rehabilitation?

Rehabilitation can restore function to both the brain and body, which allows you to live a more active, independent life. Rehabilitation is often used to help people overcome problems with thinking, seeing, hearing, communicating, eating or moving around.

There are many different interventions that can be used as part of a complete rehabilitation program. Your unique rehabilitation plan will depend on your specific diagnosis and health condition. Our rehabilitation programs are personalized to each person's needs so they can achieve the best possible outcome. Some examples of rehabilitation services include comprehensive care for the following:

Patients receive a complete evaluation and individualized rehabilitation programs focused on restoring normal balance, orientation and function.
Focusing on both physical and cognitive recovery, our multidisciplinary team helps patients achieve the best possible outcomes while providing supportive education to patients and their families.
Our nationally accredited burn center offers a healing environment to meet the physical and psychological needs for the treatment and recovery of adult and pediatric burn patients. Our comprehensive, multidisciplinary team provides leading-edge care to help burn patients regain their health and strength.
For those with cancer, our cancer rehabilitation program uses a multimodal approach to recovery. That means we develop a customized treatment plan that combines the best therapies for your specific condition.
Our specialized hand rehabilitation clinic is uniquely equipped to handle even the most complicated injuries.
Our treatment programs address head and neck, upper body and lower body lymphedema resulting from cancer treatment.
As part of an academic medical center, we care for the sickest of the sick. Our inpatient physical rehabilitation program provides care for patients who may suffer from one or more complicated medical conditions. Our team develops personalized plans that may include physical, occupational and speech and language therapy based on each person's needs.
Our tiniest patients receive specialized neonatal care throughout the course of their development.
Our joint pain rehabilitation team offers expert, comprehensive and personalized care to decrease pain, prevent reinjury, improve function and help patients resume daily activities.
Our rehab specialists work closely with the transplant surgery team to help patients regain strength and mobility. We also provide patient education.
Our nationally verified Level I trauma center offers comprehensive and intensive care. Our multidisciplinary team works closely with trauma surgeons to care for patients who have suffered a head or spinal cord injury or multitrauma.

We offer a variety of appointment types. Learn more or call 913-588-1227 to schedule now.

Who can have rehabilitation?

Rehabilitation can benefit many people of all ages and health conditions. Typically, people who have experienced decreased quality of life due to a decline in physical, mental or cognitive abilities are good candidates for rehabilitation. If you are experiencing joint or back pain, complications from sports injuries, stroke or traumatic brain injuries, rehabilitation can help.

Rehabilitation may be suitable for a wide range of conditions and diagnoses. Our rehabilitation programs include services for:

How does rehabilitation work?

Rehabilitation uses a variety of tools, therapies, exercises and other interventions to help address underlying conditions and improve the way a person functions in everyday life while decreasing pain. At The University of Kansas Health System, we use a customized approach that may include several treatment modalities, such as medication, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nonsurgical interventions and speech and language services, among others.

Our physical therapy team provides streamlined care to people of all ages and for a wide array of conditions. Our programs are personalized to address each person's needs and goals, and our expert team of physical therapists coordinates care with primary doctors and specialists to ensure the best possible outcome.

Physical therapy helps facilitate independence through therapeutic exercises and training that may include:

Exercises to increase joint mobility and flexibility for arms, legs and trunk
Mobility and ambulatory training
Techniques to reduce and manage pain
Posture, body mechanisms and balance training
Exercises to increase strength, conditioning and endurance

Our occupational therapy program helps patients return to activities of daily living, including bathing, feeding, grooming and dressing. Our highly trained occupational therapists work closely with patients and their healthcare team to develop an individualized program for recovery at their own pace. Occupational therapy services include:

Daily activities and adaptive equipment
Techniques focused on energy conservation and work simplification
Fine motor coordination
Functional capacity evaluation
Exercises to strengthen hands and arms, and to increase endurance
Splinting
Visual-perception assessment and training
Work conditioning

Our speech language pathologists provide expert outpatient and inpatient services for people recovering from conditions that may affect swallowing, communication and thinking (cognitive).

Language and speech services begin with a comprehensive assessment and differential diagnosis. Our expert team then develops a personalized program for patients with disorders that affect:

Communication, such as aphasia, dysarthria, apraxia of speech and tracheostomies
Thinking skills, such as attention, memory and problem-solving disorders
Dysphagia (swallowing disorders), including diagnostic and specialties such as videofluoroscopic swallow studies and fiber-optic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing

Benefits and risks of rehabilitation

The main benefit of participating in a rehabilitation program is improved function and better quality of life. Rehabilitation is an important part of many treatment programs because it helps aid in recovery and can complement other treatments, such as medications and surgery. Rehabilitation can also reduce the chance of complications related to the associated health condition or trauma. People who go through rehabilitation are often more independent and need less caregiver support than those who don't use rehabilitation services.

In any rehabilitation program, there is a small risk of reinjury. However, our specialists are expertly trained to avoid and treat any complications that could arise.

What happens during rehabilitation?

Your first appointment with our team of specialists begins with a thorough exam and background discussion. We’ll ask you questions about any pain or discomfort you are experiencing, and find out more about your personal goals for treatment.

After your exam, you’ll receive a treatment plan and a complete explanation of your journey to greater mobility and independence.

Why choose us for rehabilitation

Our rehabilitation patients throughout the region receive comprehensive, award-winning care. Our care teams work together to develop personalized rehabilitation plans for each person based on their needs and goals with input from a variety of specialists.

Our inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services offer personalized care at state-of-the-art facilities in Kansas City and Overland Park. Our multidisciplinary teams include expert physicians, rehabilitation nurses, and physical, occupational and speech therapists who work side-by-side to provide you with the best care.

We offer a full spectrum of care for adults and kids, from surgical to nonsurgical interventions, specializing in a wide array of conditions and disorders.