Outpatient Stroke Rehabilitation
“Where One Discipline Treats the Entire Body”
Outpatient Stroke Rehabilitation through Buffalo Occupational Therapy is the most inclusive approach to stroke rehabilitation in Western New York. Using an occupational science, Buffalo Occupational Therapy is able to treat your entire body from head to toe. Outpatient occupational therapy is different from any other form of occupational therapy because we use principles of neurological rehabilitation (nervous system and brain), physical rehabilitation (muscles, bones, and joints), Psycho-social rehabilitation (emotional support and mental balance), and Activity-based Rehabilitation to address your walking, leg strength, hip mobility, coordination, core stability, balance, arm movement, hand movement, and so much more! The best part? You only need to come
to one therapy clinic, and you know your entire body is being addressed!!!!
Time Recommendation
Outpatient Stroke Rehabilitation through Buffalo Occupational Therapy is designed to be intensive which means we recommend 2-3 days weekly if you have recently experienced a stroke [CVA] due to the heightened state of your brain’s ability for neural plasticity. Yes, this means that even after you are discharged from inpatient rehabiltiation or sub-acute rehabilitation! Your body needs it! Our neurocentric approach recruits neuromuscular communication and calls it into action, but this takes repetition and consistence.
Have you experienced a stroke 1-3+ years ago and have been told you have reached functional capacity by other therapists or other stroke rehab clinics? Get a second opinion!!! We have worked with clients who have experienced nervous system [stroke/CVA, TBI, SCI) damaged 5+ years ago who have seen amazing results! You never know your potential when you are using evidence-based practice!! For this, the more guided therapy the better, but many of our patients begin 1 day a week and later increase for more guided interventions.
Our clinic is a place of hope. We are always hopeful.
What do we address in our stroke rehab program?
Education
The therapists at Buffalo Occupational Therapy dedicate time and energy every month to ensure they are staying up to date on all current neurological rehabilitation approaches and best practices for stroke rehabilitation. Not only is therapeutic competence of utmost importance during clinical interactions, but we want you to be educated on the medical/healing process as well!
We believe that everyone wants to play an active role in their rehabilitation and, therefore, we strive to educate you every step of the way. If you have questions we want to answer them! If we don’t know, we will find the answer! When you are in control of your own recovery, true healing, repair, and remediation can begin!!
Occupational Therapy trains walking and transfers!
What does this mean?
- Walking inside and outside
- Walking with a walker or cane
- Walking Balance
- Walking on grass, pavement, gravel, going up and down curbs, you name it!
- Getting up from a bed, recliner, couch, chair without arms, restaurant chair
You need to be stong and occupational therapists know how to make that happen with neurological rehabilitation after a stroke!
Walking
Walking is a priority in outpatient occupational therapy. Buffalo Occupational Therapy is the only adult outpatient occupational therapy clinic in WNY addressing physical dysfunction from neurological deficits. Functional ambulation and transfers (walking and getting up and down) is an occupation that requires a therapist who is trained to work with the entire body and has studied and specialized in neurological principles of recovery. Our facility allows for not only exercise, activity, muscle training, and range of motion, but because we are occupational, we use our facility to ensure you can walk up and down stairs, up and down curbs, up and down hills, ramps, and easily walk on multiple types of surfaces!
Arm Movement & Strength
As you know, upper body function is oftentimes affected after a stroke [CVA]. Outpatient Occupational Therapy understands what many individuals don’t, in order to see return in your upper body, you must focus on the entire body!! The ability for your brain to communicate with your muscles, especially in your hand, is a continuum effect! There are steps that must be taken in each therapy session to increase your ability to see active and controlled movement while also decreasing ‘tone’ presentation! The therapists at Buffalo Occupational Therapy use many approaches to maximize results:
- Inhibit Tone through heavy work, range of motion, modalities, kinesiology tape
- Elicit tone in flaccid limbs through electrical stimulation, range of motion, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, kinesiology taping
- Strengthening
- Gross functional mobility, reaction time, and coordination
- Fine motor coordination and reaction time
Leg Movement & Strength
Using your lower body is just as important as moving your upper body! Occupational therapy practitioners have been trained on exercises and activities that will stretch your muscles, help you move your legs, increase your brain’s ability to send signals through the legs and down to the feet, decrease tone, decrease pain, and increase stability and agility in your lower body. In order to do everything that is meaningful to you [occupations], we must start with the basics. Buffalo Occupational Therapy practitioners move through the recovery process with you. We are a team!
Executive Function
Executive Function [Cognitive Rehabilitation] is an essential part of any neurological-based ailment! Although you may feel completely untouched in your ability to think and process, if one area of the brain is disrupted — many other areas are as well. Buffalo Occupational Therapy addresses many factors of executive functioning and we do it through dual tasking where we combine physical movement with cognitive function. This method increases neuronal excitation and elicits heightened neural plasticity during recovery.
Balance, Reaction Time, Agility, Stamina, and More!
Buffalo Occupational Therapy works on the entire body. We are a speciality clinic that has dedicated years to researching best practices and approaches for neurological-based ailments. You matter to us and every person’s recovery is different. What does this me? It means while we are treating you, we are still researching to ensure you are getting excellence in rehab and not wasting your time! Because of this, many of our patients will choose Buffalo Occupational Therapy as their only intensive therapy provider 3-5 times weekly in early stages of stroke recovery.
Additional thoughts:
- We integrate movement through neuromuscular communication techniques, use neurocentric rehabilitation strategies, repetition, consistency, modalities, exercise, activities, and more
- We refine movement through work hardening strategies, occupational-based activities, and focusing on what matters most to you!!