Inpatient physical therapy

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If you’re in the hospital recovering from an injury, stroke or surgery, you may need physical or occupational therapy. These rehabilitation specialists can help you improve your strength and physical function as you heal.

At Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic, our physical therapists understand the unique challenges you experience during a hospital stay. They provide intensive rehabilitation so you can regain your independence and continue your recovery at home.

What is inpatient physical therapy?

You might receive inpatient physical therapy at the hospital in the days immediately after surgery, an accident or illness. You might also get longer-term treatment at a specialized inpatient physical therapy program.

Your provider personalizes inpatient physical therapy to meet your specific physical needs. Depending on your physical condition and goals, it can include strengthening, balance work and help relearning basic functions.

Types of inpatient physical therapy

Recovery from an injury, illness or surgery involves many different types of care. Inpatient treatment provides a range of rehabilitation services on site, including:

Physical therapy: Physical therapists use a variety of methods to help you gain strength, improve balance, increase endurance and regain functional mobility. Your program could include exercises, hands-on therapy (like massage), hydrotherapy, electrotherapy, splinting or bracing.
Occupational therapy: During your recovery, you may need to relearn how to do certain daily activities. An occupational therapist works with you to regain these important basic functions. Care could include help using adaptive devices, using modifications to perform tasks or learning techniques for working around lack of certain functions.
Speech and language therapy: You’ll work with a specialized therapist if you’re recovering from a stroke, head injury or other condition that affects speech and swallowing. Your therapist helps you regain the ability to eat, speak and swallow as you usually do.
NICU therapy: Premature infants face unique challenges and often need extra help to meet developmental milestones. Specialized therapists work with babies in the NICU and their parents to help improve babies’ physical and cognitive development.

Conditions treated with inpatient physical therapy

There are many reasons you might need inpatient physical therapy during a hospital stay. Some of the common conditions that may benefit from inpatient physical therapy include:

Amputation
Burns
Congenital deformity
Gait or balance issues
Hip fracture
Joint replacement or other orthopedic surgery
Neurological disorders (such as Parkinson’s disease)
Rheumatoid arthritis
Spinal cord injury
Sports injury
Stroke
Trauma
Traumatic brain injury

Benefits of inpatient physical therapy

Recovery can take weeks or even months, depending on the condition you have. The goal of inpatient physical therapy during that time is to help you regain the strength, function and independence necessary to return home.

Getting the personalized care you need during your hospital stay helps you make a faster – and more complete – recovery. It can also help prevent future injury by reducing your risk of falls and other physical limitations.