The Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center is a nationally recognized leader in rehabilitative care for people with traumatic and non-traumatic brain injuries. At Ohio State, we develop advanced treatments and therapies to restore independence and enhance quality of life for those who have experienced brain injuries.

A brain injury can cause problems with movement, walking, communication, swallowing safely, thinking skills or behavior control. Rehabilitation is crucial to maximize the potential for recovery. Recovery may take weeks, months or may be a lifelong process.

Each brain injury is different. A brain injury may be:

• Mild, with a brief change in mental status
• Moderate, with a loss of consciousness
• Severe, causing a prolonged coma.

Any brain injury can lead to long-term symptoms and the potential for permanent disability. Rehabilitation should begin as quickly as possible in the hospital. As your physical condition improves, rehabilitation services can increase and target your particular needs.

The outcome following a brain injury depends on many variables, including:

• Nature and severity of the brain injury
• Type and degree of any resulting impairments and disabilities
• Overall patient health
• Family support
• Quality of the rehabilitation care

At Ohio State, our program provides services to maximize your physical, cognitive and psychological recovery and to restore your quality of life. Rehabilitation maximizes your capabilities at home and in the community, improves your self-esteem and promotes independence.

Our Patients

Ohio State’s multidisciplinary team of experts provides care to people who have experienced these brain injuries:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Stroke
• Hematoma (heavy bleeding into or around the brain)
• Aneurysm (a weakened area of an artery wall that bulges or expands)
• Brain tumor
• Brain infection
• Neurological disorders (diseases of the brain, spinal cord and nerves)
• Anoxia (oxygen depletion in the brain)
• Hypoxia (low oxygen to the brain)

Why choose The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center? 

Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center offers unparalleled care for the treatment of brain injuries. Ohio State’s groundbreaking treatments for brain injury are based on the most advanced research available and delivered by Ohio State’s national expert staff. Here are more reasons why patients choose Ohio State for care related to brain injury:

Personalized Care: Patients benefits from the diverse expertise of a multidisciplinary team working together to help you reach your specific goals. Your personalized care plan may include:

• Optimization of your brain's own healing (plasticity)
• Therapy to improve mobility, strength, swallowing, communication and thinking
• Skill development or enhancement to help you perform daily activities
• Development of strategies to help you compensate for changes in your daily lifestyle
• Group therapy and peer support to help you improve social skills
• Continuing care and support during acute hospitalization, inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient rehabilitation

Best Outcomes: Because of the quality of care we provide, Ohio State patients have excellent outcomes including:

• Functional gains that exceed national standards
• Discharge-to-home rates that are higher than the national average
• Recovery of self-care, mobility and cognitive thinking skills exceeding the national averages

Specialized Services: Ohio State offers the only rehabilitation program in central Ohio certified for traumatic brain injury. Our staff have experience derived from years of specialization and collaboration with colleagues at leading brain injury centers in North America. Because we recognize and value the support of others, we offer you and your family or significant friends a specialized educational series dedicated to brain injury recovery.

Certified Excellence: Our brain injury specialists are nationally certified by the Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists (ACBIS), which establishes best practices for brain injury rehabilitation.

Accredited Care: We are proud that our Inpatient Rehabilitation Programs at Dodd Hall and our Outpatient Medical Rehabilitation Programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). CARF recognized our programs as meeting the highest standards in quality, safety and outcome measures, which provide risk-reduction and accountability in our patient care.

Nation’s Best: Ohio State’s rehabilitation program consistently ranks among the best in the nation. As an academic medical center, Ohio State offers comprehensive medical expertise, the most advanced technologies and treatment techniques and innovative care backed by research knowledge. As a nationally recognized model system for treatment and research of brain injuries, you will receive:

• The most advanced treatments and therapies
• Access to the most recent data from long-term studies of traumatic brain injury patients