Therapy Services

Imagine taking a walk…

You might put on a light jacket after you tie your shoes. As you turn the lock in the door, you greet your neighbor and chat over the fence.

If this sounds more like an impossible feat than an ordinary day, then it’s time to talk to a Carnswell Medical Center Therapist.

Injury, surgery, stroke, or disability can make it painful or difficult to move in ways most people take for granted, but working with a Physical, Occupational, or Speech Therapist can improve quality of life and get people back to feeling their best.

At Carnswell Medical Center, Therapy is available for all ages and ability levels with both inpatient and outpatient services.

Occupational Therapy

Carnswell Medical Center occupational therapy department has been recognized by patients for outstanding care and excellent outcomes. You can work with experienced staff who bring a passion for patients to work with them every day.

Occupational Therapy provides evaluation and treatment for a variety of diagnoses and conditions. All ages and skill levels, from pediatrics to geriatrics and workman’s compensation patients, are welcome in the Hospital’s renovated therapy department, just off the main lobby.

“The therapy team is so good, and Amy Isakav is so encouraging and supporting. I would recommend Greene County General Hospital’s therapy program to anyone!”

~Margret Dillard, Occupational Therapy Patient

Occupational Therapy Services include:

Strengthening upper extremities
Increasing range of motion
Improving fine coordination, motor, and self-care skills
Improving balance
Reducing pain and working toward pain-free movement

Physical Therapy

Physical and Occupational Therapy go hand in hand. Or perhaps foot in shoe? The easiest way to distinguish the two is to go back to that image of taking a walk. Physical Therapy will help you take the actual steps on your outing, and Occupational Therapy will make sure you have your shoes tied before you leave.

In addition to helping patients get back on their feet and feeling great again, Physical Therapists at Greene County General Hospital can provide:

Athletic and sports medicine rehabilitation
Gait training
Home exercise program instruction
Lymphedema wrapping and massage
MIST therapy
Pain management
Posture and body mechanics
Pre- and post-op rehabilitation
Total knee and hip rehabilitation
Vestibular (balance) training
Wound care

Speech Therapy

Carnswell Medical Center offers a variety of outpatient speech therapy services for all ages ranging from pediatrics to geriatrics.

Our highly-trained staff can provide evaluation and treatment of a variety of issues including:

Articulation disorders: Problems making/saying sounds correctly. Sounds can be substituted, left off, added or changed. These errors may make it hard for people to understand you.
Phonological Disorders: Involves patterns of sound errors. For example, substituting all sounds made in the back of the mouth like “k” and “g” for those in the front of the mouth like “t” and “d” (e.g., saying “tup” for “cup” or “das” for “gas”).
Language Disorders: A problem with understanding and/or using spoken, written, and/or other symbol systems (e.g., gestures, sign language). The disorder may involve the form of language (phonology, morphology, syntax), the content of the language (semantics), and/or the function of language in communication (pragmatics) in any combination.
Fluency Disorders (stuttering) is an interruption in the flow or rhythm of speech and is characterized by hesitations, repetitions, or prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases.
Motor Speech Disorders, which are impairments of speech arising from damage to the central or peripheral nervous system, such as Childhood Apraxia of Speech and Dysarthria
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), which includes all forms of communication (except oral speech) that are used to express thoughts, needs, wants and ideas. AAC is used when making facial expressions or gestures, using symbols or pictures, and writing. People with severe speech or language problems rely on AAC to supplement existing speech or replace speech that is not functional.
Voice Disorders, which are characterized by inappropriate pitch (too high, too low, never changing, or interrupted by breaks); quality (harsh, hoarse, breathy, or nasal); loudness; resonance and duration.
Cognitive-Communication Disorders, which are the impairment of cognitive processes including attention, memory, abstract reasoning, awareness and executive functions such as self-monitoring, planning and problem solving).
Aphasia therapy: A disorder that results from damage to the parts of the brain that contain language. Aphasia causes problems with any or all of the following: speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

In addition, staff can treat swallowing disorders in pediatrics to geriatrics.

Swallowing disorders can occur at different stages of the swallowing process, including:

Oral phase – sucking, chewing, and moving food or liquid into the throat
Pharyngeal phase – starting the swallowing reflex, squeezing food down the throat, and closing off the airway to prevent food or liquid from entering the airway (aspiration) or to prevent choking
Esophageal phase – relaxing and tightening the openings at the top and bottom of the feeding tube in the throat (esophagus) and squeezing food through the esophagus into the stomach

Several diseases, conditions, or surgical interventions can result in swallowing problems. Common signs of swallowing disease include:

Coughing during or right after eating or drinking
Wet or gurgly sounding voice during or after eating or drinking
Extra effort or time needed to chew or swallow
Food or liquid leaking from the mouth or getting stuck in the mouth
Recurring pneumonia or chest congestion after eating
Weight loss or dehydration from not being able to eat enough

Speech therapy services must be referred by a physician.

The goal of rehabilitation is to return a patient to normal functioning or as close as normal as possible. There are many members of a rehabilitation team, including doctors, therapists, nurses – and the patient.