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Rehabilitation Services News from Rehab
Rehab Services moves to Santa Fe campus
New Program Aimed at Reducing Knee Injuries in Female
Athletes
Rehab Services moves to Santa Fe campus
After managing with knee pain for the last 10 years, Georgia Gile decided
it was time to correct the problem. She underwent knee replacement
surgery, but instead of going directly home after the procedure she elected
to spend some time as an inpatient of the rehabilitation services department
as Salina Regional.
"My family and I thought it would be good to spend some extra time
learning how to get around with my knee," 82-year-old Gile said. "They
are teaching me how to do different things while my knee gets back to
normal.
Gile was one of the first to undergo therapy at the rehab unit's new
location on the fourth floor of the Santa Fe campus. The department
moved from its previous location at the Penn campus on June 2.
Rehabilitation nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech
therapy and recreational therapy, all under management of a board certified
physiatrist, continue to be offered as inpatient and outpatient services at
the new location. Another outpatient rehab clinic complements these
services at the Santa Fe Medical Arts Building by providing sports medicine,
occupational medicine and orthopedic rehabilitation.
Moving inpatients to the Santa Fe campus brings them much closer to
the many diagnostic and therapeutic services located at the facility.
"Dialysis patients or patients who need lab or diagnostic imaging work
will be able to stay on the same campus instead of having to be
transported," Rehabilitation Services Director Patti Aumick said. "Now
it will be a matter of an elevator ride instead of a van or ambulance ride."
New dining areas, training rooms and gym space were created on the Santa
Fe fourth floor to accommodate the move. Inpatients will still enjoy
the benefit of having private rooms.
After only a few days of therapy Gile said she could see improvements.
"The staff and nurses have been very nice. This has been a lot more
work than I thought. I'm improving and doing everything, even if it
hurts, because I'm anxious to go home."
New Program Aimed at Reducing Knee Injuries in
Female Athletes
If you are a female or have a daughter who plays sports, you should be
aware of an alarming statistic - one out of every 100 high school female
athletes will suffer a serious knee injury this year.
Knee ligament injury rates are two to ten times higher in female athletes
than in male athletes. Experts are asking the question "Why?" Research
indicates that there is a marked imbalance of strength and power between
hamstrings and quadriceps in female athletes. Male athletes use the
muscles that flex the knees more than women do, an action that protects the
ACL from injury during landing. Women tend to depend on
ligaments to protect their knee joints after a jump. Another
difference is that females land in a more valgus, or knock-kneed, position
which increases the pressures on the knee joint.
Salina Regional Health Center's Outpatient Physical Therapy department is
a certified Sportsmetrics provider and can help decrease these injuries to
female athletes.
Sportsmetrics, a six-week training program, was designed to help athletes
refine neuromuscular control of the lower limbs. Results have shown a
reduction in landing force of 22 percent, 50 percent less side-to-side
twisting of the knee joint and a 10 percent increase in vertical jumps.
These results lead to higher performance and less injuries.
The Sportsmetrics program at Salina Regional's outpatient physical
therapy department includes a pre-screening, a jump analysis, an orthopedic
analysis and a six-week jump training program.
Sportsmetrics focuses on the female athlete's needs in training, but it's
not just for females. Males will benefit from developing overall leg
strength and perfecting jumping and landing mechanics too.
For more information on the Sportsmetrics program at Salina Regional
Health Center, contact the outpatient physical therapy department at (785)
452-6668.
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