Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is a health care profession which provides services to individuals in order to develop, maintain and restore maximum movement and functional ability throughout life. This includes providing services in circumstances where movement and function are threatened by aging, injury, disease or environmental factors.

Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, treatment/intervention, habilitation and rehabilitation. This encompasses physical, psychological, emotional, and social well being. It involves the interaction between physical therapist (PT), patients/clients, other health professionals, families, care givers, and communities in a process where movement potential is assessed and goals are agreed upon, using knowledge and skills unique to physical therapists. Physical therapy is performed by either a physical therapist (PT) or an assistant (PTA) acting under their direction.

PTs utilize an individual's history and physical examination to arrive at a diagnosis and establish a management plan, and when necessary, incorporate the results of laboratory and imaging studies.

Physical therapy has many specialties including cardiopulmonary, geriatrics, neurologic, orthopedic and pediatrics to name some of the more common areas. PTs practice in many settings, such as outpatient clinics or offices, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, skilled nursing facilities, extended care facilities, private homes, education and research centers, schools, hospices, industrial workplaces or other occupational environments, fitness centers and sports training facilities.

Physical Therapy Services offered:

Traditional Physical Therapy

Sports Injury Managemant

Isokinetic, Isotonic and Isometric Evaluation & Treatment

Functional Capacity Testing/Pre-Employment Screening/Work Hardening

Wound/Burn Care & Debridement

Modalities to include: ultrasound, electric stimulation, iontophoresis, traction, hot packs, cold packs, massage, TENS

Gait Training

Wheelchair Fitting

Splint Fabrication/Fitting

Group Therapy including Sensory Stimulation, Therex & Ambulation

Therapeutic Exercise

Balance/Vestibular Training

Ergonomic Evaluation and Modification

Lewis County General Hospital Physical Therapy Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 7am-5pm with weekend coverage as needed

Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapists at Lewis County General Hospital focus on rehabilitating patients in order to maximize their functional independence or adapt their environment to suit their needs.

Our evaluations provide a comprehensive and objective assessment of functional limitations and weakness. Through the use of the FOCUS and BTE work simulators, we can measure functional abilities using realistic activities.

The BTE work simulator is commonly used with hand patients to regain lost skills following stroke, fractures, carpal tunnel surgery, trauma, or other medical conditions. A variety of attachments simulate tasks such as starting a car, opening a jar, gripping, pinching and using various hand tools such as screwdrivers.

Computer printouts allow the Therapist and Physician to track progress through detailed graphs and summaries. Treatment sessions can be compared using objective data to determine the ability to return to work.

Occupational Therapy Services Offered

Home Evaluations

Home Health Services

Activities of Daily Living Skills (ADL’s)

Assess Adaptive Equipment Needs

Address Upper Extremity Impairment

Hand Assessment & Therapy

Fluidotherapy (used to decrease edema & increase motion)

Lewis County General Hospital Occupational Therapy Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 7am-4pm with weekend coverage as needed

Speech Therapy

Speech-language therapy is the treatment for people with speech and/or language disorders. A speech disorder refers to a problem with the actual production of sounds, whereas a language disorder refers to a difficulty understanding or putting words together to communicate ideas. Speech disorders include the following problems:

Articulation disorders include difficulties producing sounds in syllables or saying words incorrectly to the point that other people can't understand what's being said.

Fluency disorders include problems such as stuttering, the condition in which the flow of speech is interrupted by abnormal stoppages, repetitions (st-st-stuttering), or prolonging sounds and syllables (ssssstuttering).

Resonance or voice disorders include problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice that distract listeners from what's being said. These types of disorders may also cause pain or discomfort for the child when speaking.

Dysphagia/oral feeding disorders, including difficulties with eating and swallowing.

Language disorders can be either receptive or expressive: Receptive disorders refer to difficulties understanding or processing language. Expressive disorders include difficulty putting words together, limited vocabulary, or inability to use language in a socially appropriate way.

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs), often informally known as speech therapists, are professionals educated in the study of human communication, its development, and its disorders. They hold at least a master's degree and state certification/licensure in the field, as well as a certificate of clinical competency from ASHA. By assessing the speech, language, cognitive-communication, and swallowing skills of children and adults, speech-language pathologists can identify types of communication problems and the best way to treat them. SLPs treat problems in the areas of articulation; dysfluency; oral-motor, speech, and voice; and receptive and expressive language disorders.

Lewis County General Hospital Speech Therapy Hours of Operation: on-call basis as needed.