Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

The Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Services provides timely, high-quality evaluations and therapeutic interventions to treat a variety of disabilities. Our main goal is to help patients function at their maximum potential. Our inpatient consults, ten-bed acute rehab unit and outpatient rehab services (Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm) are offered at the hospital at 121 DeKalb Avenue. The section of Pain Management is located at the Physicians Pavilion, 86 Saint Felix Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation teams work closely with the Division of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Orthopedic Surgery to provide a full continuum of care.

Outpatient PT/OT

Our PT/OT Team is led by Beata Nowak, DPT, PT, Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Geriatric Physical Therapy, Director.

Physical Therapy (PT) provides patients with evaluation and treatment of disabilities, injuries, diseases and other conditions using physical, chemical and mechanical means. Some of these modalities include (but are not limited to) heat, cold, light, air, water, sound, electricity, massage, mobilization and therapeutic exercises with or without assistive devices. We also specialize in the performance and interpretation of tests and measurements to assess patho-physiological, patho-mechanical and developmental deficits of human systems to determine treatment and assist in diagnosis and prognosis.

Occupational Therapy (OT) provides customized treatment programs that help individuals achieve independence in their daily lives. OT provides assessments and treatment for work performance skills, as well as recommendations and training in the use of adaptive equipment to replace lost function.

Acute Rehabilitation Unit

TBHC has a 10-bed unit dedicated to patients who need intense, comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation before they return home, such as those who have experienced a stroke, bilateral joint replacement, amputation, neurological disorder, spinal cord or brain injury, hip fracture, among others.

Here, patients receive, and must be able to tolerate, a minimum of three hours of PT, OT, and speech and/ or swallow therapy daily for a week or more, depending on their functional deficits. Patients can be admitted to this unit from other TBHC units or from other hospitals by way of a doctor’s referral. All care is carefully coordinated with the referring physician. The specialized skills of rehabilitation medicine (physiatrists) and 24-hour rehabilitation nursing care are also required.

The acute rehab unit includes a gym with parallel bars, tilt tables, cable columns and balance training equipment. In addition, we offer an activity room with kitchen, laundry and shower facilities accurately repli- cating a typical home environment.