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Sports and Physical Rehabilitation Medicine in Northern New Jersey

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hysical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) is the non-surgical field of treatment for patients with and injury or medical condition limiting their physical performance or preventing pain free movement. PM&R doctors are specialists who treat patient conservatively through exercise to resolve painful medical conditions the patient may be experiencing. The cause of symptoms may be due to musculoskeletal, neurological, or rheumatological disease or traumatic injury. Through a collaborative, patient-centered approach, the dedicated team of specialists at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics provides top tier exercise rehabilitation services. Located throughout Northern New Jersey CNSO experts are available in person or via telemedicine for patients suffering from painful physical limitations. Learn more about the benefits of rehabilitation medicine and why patients should consider the devoted team at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics.

Overview of Physical Rehabilitation Medicine

The goal of rehabilitation medicine is to restore and enhance functional ability thereby improving the patient’s quality of life. PM&R can help a patient avoid surgery, as well as help speed up the recovery from surgery. Physical Medicine incorporates manual stretching and physical techniques, including physical therapy and guided exercise to overcome physical impairments or disabilities. PM&R doctors are well versed in origins of the patient’s limitations, the affect movement and whether treatment requires brain, spinal cord, muscles, bones, or nerve care. Patients that may benefit from this type of treatment include those with:

  • Arthritis: Inflammation of the joints typically causes swelling, pain, and stiffness.  The inflammation can be reduced with proper exercises and strength training.
  • Spinal deformities: When the normal structure of a healthy spine is altered into a maladaptive shape, patients may experience limitations to their movement because of pain. If a thoracic spinal deformity is severe, it can cause difficulty breathing because the lungs are affected. Below is a list of common spinal deformities which the CNSO neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons treat along with the PM&R doctors and pain management doctors:
  • Disc disorders: Each of the spine’s 33 vertebral bones has a cartilaginous cushioning called an intervertebral disc, which absorbs impact from daily activity. These discs may degrade naturally over time as they change from being soft, gelatinous, and flexible to dry and stiff. Certain injuries can also lead to disc disorders. At Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics, the following disc disorders can be treated both conservatively through physical therapy, through steroid injections, or surgically:
Physiatrists are physicians specialized in musculoskeletal, neurological, rheumatological and cardiovascular systems. They diagnose and provide a rehabilitation for patients to increase movement and function.
  • Degenerative spine conditions: As the cushioning of spinal joints and bone mass are lost with age or due to injury, an array of degenerative spine conditions may arise. Lifestyle and other medically related factors play a role in the development of degenerative spine and joint disease. The medical team at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics is well-versed in diagnosing and treating degenerative spine conditions, such as:
  • Nerve damage: A patient may experience pain, numbness, weakness, or tingling sensations in an affected extremity. Many medical conditions including physical trauma can cause the dysfunction of one or more nerves. If the nerve damage is distal to the spinal cord, it is considered a peripheral nerve disorder and the symptoms as considered a peripheral neuropathy. Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics prides itself in diagnosing whether the patient is suffering from a central or a peripheral neuropathy and what is the root cause. CNSO can also provide the necessary treatment to resolve the discomfort. Peripheral neuropathy would involve any of the following areas of the body:
    • Arms
    • Hands
    • Legs
    • Feet
  • Muscle or tendon tears: After tearing a muscle or tendon, recovery is possible through a variety of physical medicine and rehabilitation methods. Some tears may heal on their own requiring minimal physician involvement. The CNSO physician will inform patients if this is case, provide at home remedies to accelarate the healing process, and when they can look forward to having their injury healed.
  • Pulled ligaments: Ligaments are fibrous tissue bands that join bones to each other and support joints. Ligaments can become pulled or strained for a variety of reasons. In most cases, these injuries will become resolved with time and may increase the rate of healing through physical rehabilitation medicine.  But if the ligament has been torn significantly or there is too much ligament laxity, surgery may be necessary.  CNSO can treat any level of ligamentous pathology.

    • The above types of conditions can be caused either by work-related injuries, motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, or they can stem from congenital disorders. Below is only a small sample of brain conditions that benefit from rehabilitation:

    • Brain injuries, strokes, or tumors: From a brain injury, stroke, to the post-operative surgical care for the following types of brain tumors, physical rehabilitation medicine significantly increases the chances for a patient to return to their baseline lifestyle before the event of the stroke or before symptoms a brain tumor became apparent.  Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics has proven highly successful at treating stroke patients, brain tumor patients in need of a surgical removal of a brain tumor and the extremely valuable postoperative rehabilitation course:  Some of the tumors commonly treated by the CNSO team of neurosurgeons along with PM&R specialists and physical therapists include:
    • Pituitary tumors: The pituitary gland forms a tumor that is not responsive to medications will need to be removed. CNSO neurosurgeons remove pituitary tumors using minimally invasive techniques which allow for a minimal rehabilitation requirement after the operation.
    • Craniopharyngiomas: A typically benign brain tumor requiring minimal rehabilitation if it is removed by a CNSO neurosurgeon because of their use of minimally invasive techniques for its removal.
    • Gliomas: These brain tumors form in the glial cells, with subtypes including:
    • Meningiomas: These form in the meninges, a covering of the spine and brain.
    • Schwannomas: Named based on the point of origination which is the Schwann cell that covers nerve fibers).

    During rehabilitation treatment with Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics’ team of neurosurgeons plus PM&R doctors also known as physiatrists, patients relearn how to move and function independently, with the goal of becoming able to care for themselves and a return to their previous lifestyle.

    Different Physical Rehabilitation Medicine Programs

    The physical rehabilitation programs at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics are tailored to the unique needs of each patient. Specific treatment areas covered in our rehabilitation program may include:

    • Mobility: These exercises focus on the ability to return to prior or improved athletic performance. For those more severely disabled, the focus is on the ability to walk again or self-propel a wheelchair.
    • Pain management: Some patients experience acute or chronic pain and discomfort. Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics help patients find pain relief through physical medicine, medication, and alternative methods pain relief.
    • Self-care: For those more severely disabled, CNSO covers the skills needed for grooming, self-feeding, and bathing.

    Other types of rehabilitation for more severely disabled patients include:

    • Communication skills: This involves being able to effectively communicate through speech, writing, and alternative methods.
    • Cognitive skills: These treatments focus on the ability to problem-solve, concentrate, organize, and memorize.

    The Team at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics

    The advantage of consulting the team at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics is their high quality of care and attention to details. Working cohesively towards the same patient-centered goals, the dedicated PM&R specialists, certified physical therapists, neurosurgeons, and pain management doctors coordinate each treatment program with the best interest of the patient as the focal point.

    Patients can expect to receive exceptional care backed by a committed team that is driven to improve the rate of recovery and wellbeing. The medical doctors are highly skilled in advanced techniques and methods, so patients can feel confident they’re in good hands. Being a patient at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics also provides access to multiple convenient and state-of-the-art locations throughout Northern New Jersey. To learn more about the benefits of physical Donerehabilitation medicine, schedule an appointment today.

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    Our Medical Staff

    In order to provide an accurate diagnosis with the most effective treatment option for “back problems” and brain tumors, CNSO is led by neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons. Under the care of our award-winning neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons, Northern NJ patients can have the confidence that their medical condition will be handled with consideration for their comfort and long-term well-being as well as technical excellence.

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