Stroke Rehabilitation
New Patient Appointment or 214-645-8300
Stroke rehabilitation is a critical aspect of stroke treatment and recovery. Whether mild or severe, strokes injure the brain and can result in an array of impairments. Recovery from a stroke takes time, and patients might need ongoing rehabilitation both in the hospital and after returning home.
The UT Southwestern rehabilitation program treats a wide range of patients with various impairments, such as:
- Angina
- Anxiety
- Bladder dysfunction
- Bowel dysfunction
- Cardiac arrhythmias
- Central post-stroke pain syndrome
- Complex regional pain syndrome
- Congestive heart failure
- Contracture
- Deconditioning
- Degenerative joint disease
- Dehydration
- Dementia
- Depression
- Diabetes mellitus
- Dyslipidemia
- Dysphagia
- Emotional lability
- Exercise intolerance
- Falls and injuries
- Fatigue
- Hypertension
- Malnutrition
- Obesity
- Orthostatic hypotension
- Pneumonia
- Pressure ulcers
- Recurrent stroke
- Seizure
- Sexual dysfunction
- Shoulder dysfunction
- Sleep disturbances
- Spasticity/abnormal muscle tone
- Thromboembolic disease
- Urinary tract infection
Regardless of the magnitude of the stroke or where it occurs in the brain, UT Southwestern can provide effective rehabilitative treatment plans for patients, including inpatient and outpatient rehab, as well as help arranging for home health rehab when needed.
The goal of stroke rehabilitation at UT Southwestern is to provide comprehensive support that gets every patient to their best quality of life after a stroke. We work with patients to successfully transition them back to life at home, at work, and in the community.
What Services for Stroke Rehab Does UT Southwestern Offer?
Depending on the specifics of each patient’s situation, rehabilitation specialists work to:
- Assist with mobility
- Build strength
- Develop cognitive and behavioral strategies to help compensate for deficits
- Enhance skills needed for daily activities
- Improve balance
- Restore physical function
Interventions might also include counseling, support groups, or individual approaches to particular situations in life outside the hospital, such as:
- Arranging for transportation to attend services at the patient’s place of worship
- Training to play golf with modified equipment
- Simulating going to a restaurant and ordering food that fits in the person’s dietary plan
Our program has special accreditation for stroke rehabilitation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.
What Should Patients Expect During Stroke Rehabilitation?
When a patient who has had a stroke is in the hospital, a UT Southwestern stroke rehabilitation specialist will visit them and assess the situation within 24 hours of admittance to determine the kind of assistance the patient will need. Rehabilitation therapy begins as soon as the patient is ready and can include one or more types of rehab:
- Inpatient
- Outpatient
- Home health
Our inpatient stroke rehabilitation unit is on the sixth floor of Zale Lipshy Pavilion – William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital.
If outpatient rehab is appropriate, our physicians and therapists will see patients after they leave the hospital. Our outpatient rehab services are located in the Charles Cameron Sprague Clinical Science Building, which is connected to Zale Lipshy Pavilion.
In both locations, we offer state-of-the-art rehabilitation tools and treatments and a team of specialists that includes a:
- Physiatrist, who completes a full medical evaluation and directs the team in meeting patient goals.
- Rehab nurse, who evaluates patient safety and provides information about medications.
- Physical therapist, who evaluates how well a patient moves, such as walking and getting in and out of bed, and works toward improvement.
- Occupational therapist, who evaluates how well patients can take care of themselves, such as getting dressed or eating, and teaches new skills.
- Speech therapist, who evaluates communication and thinking skills, as well as safety in eating and drinking, and uses methods to produce improvements.
- Recreational therapist, who helps return each patient to their favorite pre-stroke activities, such as cooking, shopping, or playing board games.
- Psychologist, who assists patients and families in understanding the effects of stroke and successfully coping with challenges.
- Social worker, who helps patients and families make plans for returning home by finding helpers, getting the right equipment to help patients be independent, and other services.
Every member of the UT Southwestern stroke rehabilitation team has specialized stroke training and works exclusively with patients who have had a stroke. This focused expertise allows our specialists to offer patients the best care possible.
What Support Is Available for Patients and Family?
Families of patients who have had a stroke play an important role in helping their loved ones recover. We offer daily education classes for patients and their families to attend together while patients are in the hospital, as well as a monthly support group that’s open to inpatients and outpatients and their families at any time during the recovery process.