Text size:
 |
Walk into the expansive Rebound Center in Vancouver and you're surrounded by activity. In one corner, you might see a patient standing on one leg as she throws a rubber ball against the wall and then catches it, while her physical therapist watches intently with arms extended to keep her balanced. Nearby, a hand therapist gently stretches a patient's hand; over there, a professional athlete with an Achilles tendon injury balances on a soft, rubber half-ball under the watchful eye of a specially trained sports therapist. Behind you, a seven-year-old boy comes out of the hydrotherapy room, hair wet from his exercise in the pool.
On any given day, you're also very likely to see several of 14 orthopedic surgeons conferring with physical therapists while they help patients perform prescribed exercises. Perhaps Dr. Matthew Gambee, a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation, will come by to discuss various options for the patients' therapy.
After its first year of operation, Rebound Center is getting rave reviews. Here, orthopedists, rehabilitation doctors, neurosurgeons and therapists all work together to help patients with all kinds of disorders and injuries involving bone, muscle, ligament, joint or spine, as well as arthritis and joint replacements. They also assist stroke patients and those with acute and chronic pain—all at one convenient location.
"Our idea is to make a seamless interface between the orthopedic or neurosurgical treatment of patients and their personal management in rehabilitation," says Dr. David Hayes, an orthopedic surgeon. The physicians communicate directly with the physical therapists and this benefits patients tremendously.
"By working together we can establish protocols, familiarities and understandings among ourselves so that the patient gets the best possible care," Hayes says. "This communication is supported by the fact that we're right next door to each other. I slip over several times a day to examine my patients while they're getting their rehab treatment. I can check out a sore spot and modify the treatment with the therapist if needed." It works the other way, too, Hayes says. Therapists often go over to the orthopedists' offices to talk to the doctor about some aspect of a patient's rehabilitation.
Dr. Djergaian, who is the physician director of Rehabilitation Services for the medical center as well as co-medical director of the Rebound program, agrees with Dr. Hayes. "The co-location has really worked out well," he says. "Being right next door to the therapists and to the surgeons has added a lot for the patients in terms of transitions and follow-up. We can easily talk back and forth about what's going on."
He points out that another key part of the relationship is the connection with SWMC's emergency room. When patients come to the emergency room with musculoskeletal problems, such as a shoulder or knee injury, they don't have to be in line behind major trauma patients to be seen by a doctor. They are taken directly to the musculoskeletal area of the ER where an orthopedist can see them right away. This way, Dr. Hayes explains, patients get definitive treatment in the ER. It save the patients' time and speed their recovery. "We've added a new paradigm to the way orthopedic patients are handled in the emergency room," he says.
With 14 orthopedists, five neurosurgeons, a physiatrist and seven physician assistants, NSS has physicians specializing in specific areas of the body, such as foot and ankle, knee, hip, hand, shoulder or spine. The physical therapists have also developed specialization in specific areas—including a certified hand therapist.
Both Rebound Orthopedics and Rebound Rehabilitation also have specialists in sports medicine. Dr. Donald Roberts is the team physician for the Portland Trailblazers and for the Portland Fire, and Dr. Mark Colville is team physician for the Portland Winter Hawks and for Portland State University. Several of Rebound's therapists work with professional, college and high school athletes.
While Rebound has some of the top doctors in their fields, the Rehabilitation Center also has some of the very best exercise, balance and strengthening equipment in the area. This includes their own hydrotherapy pool. Filled with 94-degree water, the floor of this pool can be raised and lowered to fit the height of the patient, and for resistance, it can produce a current of up to 6.9 mph.
Doctors, surgeons, therapists—and patients—are delighted with how well the Rebound Center is working. As Dr. Hayes describes it, "We're one functioning unit of neurosurgical, orthopedic and rehabilitation services. The patients transition naturally as they progress in their recovery."
|
