Orthopedic Rehabilitation Program

Orthopedic physical therapy helps in your recovery journey

When you lose the ability to move freely and without pain due to an orthopedic injury, illness or surgery, it can be challenging and have a dramatic impact on your quality of life.

The orthopedic rehabilitation specialists at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, have the advanced tools, training and expertise to help you rebuild your strength and regain mobility. Our orthopedic physicians work alongside physical medicine and rehabilitation experts and therapists to provide truly multidisciplinary care to get you back to doing the things you love.

Whether you have minor knee pain or just went through major joint reconstruction surgery, we want to be by your side throughout your recovery journey.

What is orthopedic rehabilitation?

Orthopedic rehabilitation focuses on treating injuries or illnesses relating to the musculoskeletal system, which includes bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and surrounding tissue. The type of specialized rehabilitation is sometimes also called musculoskeletal rehabilitation or orthopedic physical therapy.

We provide a wide variety of rehabilitative services to people with orthopedic conditions, starting with an evaluation by our team of specialists and the creation of a personalized rehabilitation program. The program aims to help you increase your range of motion, strength and functional abilities. The ultimate goal is improved health and wellness that contributes to a better daily living experience.

What conditions can be treated with orthopedic rehab?

We help people with a wide range of conditions related to bones, muscles or joints. These conditions can be from a recent trauma or accident, or they can be chronic, meaning you’ve had symptoms for months or years. Some of the conditions we see regularly include:

• Amputation – total or partial limb loss
• Arthritis – joint inflammation due to osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis
• Bursitis – inflammation of small sacs of fluid in the joints
• Cancer – impairments to the musculoskeletal system caused by treatment side effects or the cancer itself
• Dizziness or vestibular disorders – balance conditions related to the inner ear
• Fibromyalgia – a chronic condition marked by widespread muscle and bone pain
• Muscle and joint diseases
• Spinal pain in the neck or back
• Sprains or strains
• Surgery recovery – including recovery from arthroscopic, laparoscopic (minimally invasive), orthopedic or reconstructive joint replacement surgery
• Tendonitis – tendon inflammation
• Urinary incontinence – difficulty holding urine in the bladder

This list is just a sampling of some of the conditions orthopedic rehabilitation can help. If your condition isn’t on the list, orthopedic physical therapy might still be a treatment option for you.

Services included in orthopedic rehabilitation

This program offers outpatient rehabilitation services, meaning they take place in a gym or provider’s office. These services help achieve your highest level of recovery. Following a physician’s referral, your rehabilitation once home may include:

• Ergonomic assessments, or designing the workplace environment to fit the user, and work-related injury prevention
• Exercise programs to improve range of motion, increase muscle strength, improve flexibility and mobility and increase endurance
• Fitting and care of orthotics (casts, braces, splints) or prosthetics (artificial limbs)
• Functional retraining of activities
• Gait (walking) retraining, and methods of safe walking including the use of a walker, cane or crutch
• Help with obtaining assistive devices, such as walkers, canes and braces, that promote independence
• Therapies used to decrease symptoms and assist with restoring function
• Muscle and joint mobilization to improve limb mobility
• Pain management
• Patient and family education and counseling
• Stress management and emotional support
• Work conditioning to help restore physical function to return to a previous job

Inpatient orthopedic rehabilitation at Ohio State

If your condition requires more intense and daily physical therapy, you may require a stay at Dodd Rehabilitation Hospital. The internationally recognized rehab facility is a 60-bed hospital that provides coordinated and personalized inpatient treatment and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) for meeting the nation’s highest standards of quality, safety and outcomes. It's also ranked as one of the "Best Hospitals for Rehabilitation" by U.S. News & World Report.

What specialty programs are available in orthopedic rehab?

We have a variety of specialty rehab programs dedicated to the care of people with orthopedic conditions. Some of those include:

Amputee rehabilitation

Our specialty amputee program offers rehabilitation services, including physical and occupational therapy, as well as assistive-device customization and mental health care, to help in each phase of your rehabilitation.

Cancer rehabilitation

Our cancer rehab program, which is accredited by CARF, can help you overcome the effects of your cancer or any associated lymph-node swelling with a personalized treatment plan.

Neck and spine pain rehabilitation

We provide care for people with either short-term or chronic back or neck pain caused by injury, trauma, disease or aging. Our integrated approach focuses on nonsurgical solutions to alleviate pain and restore function.

Sports medicine physical therapy

Sports medicine physical therapy focuses on therapeutic treatment and injury prevention for athletes at various levels, including professional, collegiate, recreational or high school. We also have various sport-specific therapy programs to offer more targeted care for certain athletes.

Vestibular (balance) rehabilitation

Vestibular therapy can provide balance retraining and teach you exercises to cope with dizziness and vertigo in your daily life.

Pelvic health rehab

We provide specialized care and physical therapy for health conditions unique to the pelvic floor. These include help with bladder or bowel control, pelvic pain, pregnancy-related issues, and conditions related to menopause.

Why choose Ohio State for orthopedic physical therapy?

There are many important reasons why people choose our programs and services to help them with their bone, muscle or joint issues.

Personalized care: You will receive a personal evaluation that helps create an individualized care plan to meet your needs and lead you toward your health goals.

Unique services: The orthopedic rehab program offers innovative treatments based on our profession’s best practices. Your care plan may include some of our specialized equipment and techniques, including dry needling or blood flow restriction.

Unrivaled expertise: Several of our therapists have attained Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) certification through The American Physical Therapy Association. This certification demonstrates advanced clinical knowledge and skills in the specialty of orthopedic physical therapy.

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.