Celebrating the Therapists Who Help to Transform Lives

In honoring a medical profession that helps each of its patients gain the skills, capabilities and confidence they need to achieve their greatest potential, Totally Kids Rehabilitation Hospital joins with the rest of America this October in observing National Physical Therapy Month and in celebrating the role that physical therapy plays in helping transform lives. “Physical therapy helps patients improve movement, strength, mobility and overall wellness and helps people manage pain after an illness or injury,” says Totally Kids Director of Rehabilitation Dr. Kristen Gordon. “National Physical Therapy Month provides a wonderful opportunity for us to pause and say, ‘thank you’ to not only our great team of therapists at Totally Kids but to the more than 300,000 licensed physical therapists and physical therapy assistants around the country who are helping people lead better, healthier lives.” Totally Kids Rehabilitation Hospital provides a continuum of care dedicated to enriching the health and quality of life of children with special medical and developmental needs. Central to these efforts is physical therapy which is a vital and irreplaceable component in each of the programs and services offered at the hospital. The hospital’s acute unit is dedicated to providing safe, effective and timely care on both an inpatient and outpatient basis to children, adolescents and young adults who are recovering from a complex illness or injury. There, a team of highly-trained physical therapists focus on functional gross motor training including bed mobility, transfers, gait, wheelchair mobility, balance and strengthening. The goal is to help the patient relearn mobility or learn compensatory strategies to regain function so they can return with assurance to home, school and play. In the hospital’s subacute unit, physical therapists focus on gross motor development for children who have clinically complex conditions, many of whom are dependent on technology. “Our physical therapists blend their exceptional technical skills with an abundance of compassion and love to meet each child where they are at and to work with them on the next developmental milestone,” says Dr. Gordon. “This often includes increasing overall strength and balance to progress through rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, and walking. We assess for and order assistive devices as needed, baby walkers, gait trainers, seating systems, and wheelchairs. We also monitor orthotic needs.” Totally Kids is also home to the unique Totally Infants Program, designed for the care of infants who are ready to transition from a NICU but not yet ready to go home. For these little ones, physical therapy focuses on developmental motor milestones and regulation outside of feeding. “We work on core strength, which not only boosts a baby’s development but assists with their feeding progress,” says Dr. Gordon. In treating their patients, the physical therapists at Totally Kids interact closely with a cadre of other allied health professionals in a true interdisciplinary approach, making sure that each child has access to the latest rehabilitation technologies and expertise across many disciplines. Working under the direction of a specially-trained physician and following a customized plan of care, this team could, depending on the needs of the individual child, include nursing, occupational therapy, speech therapy, recreational therapy and child development and are supported by a caring team of dietitians, case managers, social workers, neuropsychologists, pharmacists and others. “This teamwork, which is engrained in our mission and culture, makes us well rounded therapists and that benefits the child's progress because we have more of a complete picture where goals are carried out between disciplines rather than in silos,” says Dr. Gordon. “We also utilize play-based therapy, which we have found helps to motivate and encourage participation and keeps therapy fun.” For more than 50 years Totally Kids has been a national leader in providing personalized rehabilitation and habilitation services for children with a family-centered emphasis. totallykids.com.