Category Archives: Physical Rehab Blog
In Celebration of National Nurses Week
Dedicated members of the nursing profession are recognized every year during National Nurses Week. The celebration begins on May 6th National Nurses Day and commences on May 12th, Florence Nightingales birthday. The dates for National Nurses Week are permanent and … Continue reading
Print 
PDFTherapy is Over, Now What?
Craving increased energy and flexibility? Here’s a solution! Are you looking for an exercise program that will increase your flexibility, balance, core strength and energy level while at the same time lowering your stress and pain? Then the Ai … Continue reading
Hints for Older Drivers
As we get older, there are many physical and cognitive changes that impact on our driving skills. While no one can stop the aging process, there are many things you can do to maximize your driving skills. One step can … Continue reading
Celebrating Occupational Therapy Month
April is National OT month – and by that we are not referring to overtime- but to Occupational Therapy! OT is an integral part of a patient’s rehabilitation program and a key reason they are admitted to a specialty physical … Continue reading
Hand Therapy: A Certified Hand Therapist Makes All the Difference
Are you a new post-operative hand patient? Does hand arthritis limit your activities? Does it hurt to use the computer or even lift a cup of coffee? Perhaps you have been newly diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, or … Continue reading
Best Practices in Wound Care: Spinal Cord Injury Service leads the way
The Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Service at Helen Hayes Hospital is a wonderful and amazing place and I am proud to serve there as the Nurse Manager. Our team of rehabilitation specialists provide the most up to date medical care … Continue reading
Facial & Temporomandibular Joint Pain
Multi-faceted treatments relieve symptoms According to a study published in 2011, facial or temporomandibular joint pain and muscle disorder (TMJMD) is experienced by 75% of the US population. TMJMD ranks as one of the most commonly occurring conditions resulting in … Continue reading
Brain Injuries Do Not Discriminate – A Primer on TBI
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 30.5% of all injury related deaths in the United State are related to TBI. On an annual … Continue reading
Hospital to Host Care Transitions Conference
Program to focus on easing patient transitions from hospital to home Helen Hayes Hospital will host a conference entitled Hospital to Home: Improving Care Transitions & Outcomes, on Thursday May 9, 2013. The program takes place from 8:30 am to … Continue reading
Outpatient Medicare Therapy Benefits: what do therapy caps mean to you?
As part of The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, CMS implemented therapy caps for hospital outpatient departments. HHH has received many inquiries about what the therapy caps mean for you, as an individual. The therapy … Continue reading
Flu Vaccination: of critical importance for healthcare professionals
As you have recently heard through news reports, the Centers for Disease Control is reporting a “worse than average flu season this year.” There have been 30 pediatric deaths in the United States, including four in New York State, as … Continue reading
Brain Injury Specialist Training
Recently, a group of Helen Hayes Hospital staff from our Brain Injury unit pursued credentialing to become Certified Brain Injury Specialists (CBIS), thru the Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists (ACBIS). The Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists developed this … Continue reading
Warm Water Therapy Relieves Arthritis Discomfort
“Before I started the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program, I had pain in my legs and arms. Sometimes the pain was so bad, it kept me from sleeping. Since I started three years ago, my pain has subsided.” -Nancy, Osteoarthritis The … Continue reading
Cardiac Rehab Week: celebrating transitions to healthy lives
Happy Cardiac Rehabilitation Week from the Cardiopulmonary Team at Helen Hayes Hospital! This year, we celebrate more than 25 years of service to thousands of patients recovering from heart disease who we have cared for in our inpatient, outpatient and … Continue reading
Managing Pain After Orthopedic Surgery
a key to successful post-operative rehabilitation Pain is defined by the World Health Organization as “an unpleasant sensory or emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.” After orthopedic surgeries such as … Continue reading
Reflex Control Could Improve Walking After Incomplete Spinal Injuries
A training regimen to adjust the body’s motor reflexes may help improve mobility for some people with incomplete spinal cord injuries, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health. During training, the participants were instructed to suppress … Continue reading
Nutrition for Healthy Bones
Everyone is concerned about what they eat but do not always think beyond the calories. Many nutrients are essential for overall health. A recent paper published in Osteoporosis International reviewed the role of nutrition in bone health based on information … Continue reading
Understanding Medicare Coverage in Rehabilitation.
Many people have difficulty in understanding the requirements for a patient to be admitted to a rehabilitation facility. A potential patient must first meet the requirements set forth by Medicare. To help in understanding the criteria for admission to a … Continue reading
Our New Year’s Resolution: sharing our expertise
Like just about everyone else, we are starting off the New Year with a few hospital-wide resolutions. And like just about all resolutions- they are designed to enhance our overall well-being. However, they also have an important underlying goal: to … Continue reading
A Focus on Staying Strong in 2013
Yogi Berra once said, “ Half of hitting is 90% mental.” That same twisted logic applies to getting the most out of recovery. Before a person moves a muscle, the brain has to generate a signal to let the body … Continue reading
A Patient’s Perspective
Here’s wishing everyone connected with Helen Hayes Hospital a happy holiday season. For the last year and a half, I have relied on the staff at Helen Hayes to help me recover from something called transverse myelitis, or TM as it … Continue reading
Stretch Reflexes with Special Guest Jacob Buus Anderson
Jacob Buus Anderson, Biomedical Engineer and Associate Research Professor at the University of Aalborg, has established himself working with multiple sclerosis patients utilizing his groundbreaking invention: the portable stretch reflex device. The man who we affectionately referred to as Tony … Continue reading
Cardiac Rehabilitation Saves Lives!
Multiple studies have now shown that people who participate in cardiac rehabilitation programs are less likely to die than those who do not, even up to five or six years after a heart attack or cardiac procedure. Recently, a study … Continue reading
Homeward Bound After Joint Replacemnt Surgery
The hospital’s Inpatient Orthopedic Rehabilitation Service recently started a new therapy program to to ease the transition home for patients who are about to be discharged. The initiative is entitled the Patient Discharge Group and it is run jointly by … Continue reading
Dennis decides his own fate
The term ‘neuroscience research’ conjures up images of very serious people in lab coats and goggles, beakers and test tubes, and maybe a rat maze or two, in a cold, white laboratory. This may be a reality in some stages … Continue reading
Outstanding Care…Outstanding Scores
It is with tremendous pride and pleasure that I can today report that Helen Hayes Hospital ranks in the top 1% in overall Patient Satisfaction among rehabilitation facilities nationwide. Press Ganey reported this outstanding score, among others, in its most … Continue reading
A Safe Ride
Rehabilitation is all about independence – regaining the ability to live your life on your own terms. For many people – driving fits prominently into this picture. At HHH, we are committed to helping both our patients, and individuals in … Continue reading
See you at the EXPO!
On Saturday, April 21, we will be hosting our very first Adapted Sports, Rec & Living EXPO right here at Helen Hayes Hospital. I am excited to let everyone know that there will be a terrific group of approximately 50 … Continue reading
How healthy are your bones?
The only definitive method of diagnosing osteoporosis or measuring bone mass is Bone Mineral Density Testing. While the test itself is painless and easy to undergo, having it done by a skilled technician and having it evaluated by a professional … Continue reading
The Brain-Computer Interface: a firsthand account
For people who have lost the ability to communicate as a result of severe or total paralysis, including individuals with brain stem stroke and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a breakthrough in technology may enable them to dramatically improve the quality … Continue reading
Clinical Research Into Walking Difficulties Caused by Stroke: participants being recruited
A very common challenge that stroke survivors face, and one that can be very frustrating, is difficulty walking. Often, that difficulty stems from something called foot drop. If someone has foot drop, it means they have difficulty in lifting the … Continue reading
Holiday Thoughts: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?
Whenever I hear, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” I ask myself: “Really? For who?” Everything from commercials to songs to people who wear reindeer sweaters put pressure on us to be extra happy at holiday time. Some … Continue reading
From SCI patient to research participant & staff member: a personal journey
Hello! I’m Lauren Verlizzo and I work in Dr. Aiko Thompson’s Translational Neurological Research lab here at Helen Hayes Hospital where I began not as an employee, but a patient. In July of 2002, I suffered from a C5-C6 incomplete … Continue reading
Peripheral Arterial Disease: Exercise Your Way to Health
Peripheral Arterial Disease, or PAD, affects many thousands of Americans, often unknowingly. September has been designated PAD awareness month, with the goal of educating people about this disease, which can be debilitating, even fatal, but is treatable. PAD is the … Continue reading
Honors Assembly Celebrates Patient Achievements
This coming Tuesday, September 20 at 1:30 pm, Helen Hayes Hospital will be hosting its annual “Honors Assembly,” a unique and very special event that celebrates the remarkable recoveries and achievements of our patients. Honors Assembly takes place during National … Continue reading
Neurorecovery Program: helping patients emerge from coma
Many people, including families and friends of patients, have questions about the Neurorecovery concept and what the chances are that a patient who has sustained a brain injury, and is in a coma, will eventually recover. Common questions include the … Continue reading
From your door to ours- shuttle offers comfort & convenience
Providing a safe and clean environment, the highest quality patient care and valuable community programs, all with a dose of Helen Hayes Hospitality, has long been our mission. This focus recently led us to implement a new, complimentary HHH Shuttle, … Continue reading
Helen Hayes Hosts Another Fun Adaptive Sailing Outing!
Recently, the HHH Adapted Sports and Recreation program hosted its annual Adapted Sailing event, with great success. We have been hosting this for the past six years in conjunction with the Nyack Boat Club (NBC) in Nyack, New York. The … Continue reading
HHH Rehab Blog
Welcome to this first posting on Helen Hayes Hospital’s new blog – the Physical Rehab Blog. We’ve developed it as an extension of our web site and as a way to reach out to individuals with physical disabilities, prospective patients … Continue reading
