What is the Intensive Therapy Program?
Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital’s outpatient intensive therapy program is designed for children who need higher intensity or frequency of therapy to meet their goals.
Patients who come to Ranken Jordan for intensive bursts of therapy include those with cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries, among other conditions. Through the intensive outpatient therapy program, therapists often work with kids who have plateaued and need a fresh approach.
Extensive research shows kids make more progress with short bursts of intensive therapy alternating with living their normal life in between. Ranken Jordan can incorporate all therapy disciplines—physical, occupational and speech therapy—depending on your child’s needs.
Therapists also provide exercises for your child to do when they go home so they can continue progressing. Then they can come back to Ranken Jordan for a “tune-up.” Ranken Jordan therapists will provide your child with new treatment recommendations based on their progress and create a new set of goals to work toward.
Your child may come to Ranken Jordan for one to three weeks of physical, occupational and/or speech therapy at a frequency customized to their unique needs.
One-of-a Kind Program
Ranken Jordan offers therapies and specialized equipment not offered together at other programs around the country. Some of these include:
- The region’s only warm water therapy pool. This pool relaxes muscles and allows kids to move more freely. It’s rare to have a warm water therapy pool in a hospital setting. Ranken Jordan has an entire pool that gives therapists the space to offer a range of therapies with kids. Therapists offer more than traditional aquatic therapy in the warm water pool. It’s another medium for various therapies and is ideal for non-weight bearing activities.
- Universal Exercise Unit, the Spider Cage. The Universal Exercise Unit, sometimes referenced the spider cage, is a modality incorporating a system of pulleys and bungee cord attachments allowing therapists to facilitate independent movement, dynamic balance, weightbearing, and overall confidence in various developmental positions. Developmental skills that can be addressed within the Universal Exercise Unit include head and neck control, sitting, standing, jumping, crawling, and more.
- FES (functional electrical stimulation) bikes. These are used to stimulate paralyzed or weakened muscles, reduce muscle tightness, and increase range of motion. Therapists may use FES to turn on the muscles needed to walk. FES is a proven therapy with a wide range of uses for positive results. Using FES during cycling is part of an activity-based restorative treatment. Occupational therapists and physical therapists at Ranken Jordan use FES bikes in addition to traditional therapy interventions. Ranken Jordan has three different FES cycles on-site to build muscle mass and promote physical and functional recovery. Each cycle is targeted at specific areas such as arms and legs, or legs only. Electrodes are placed on the target muscle groups to stimulate muscle contractions. Physical therapists conduct muscle testing to ensure optimal response.
- Galileo Whole Body Vibration Plate. These neuromuscular training tools relax the whole body. The goal of vibration plate treatment is to increase muscle function, balance, coordination, strength, flexibility, and bone density, as well as help with fall prevention and pain control. Ranken Jordan was the first clinical center in the St. Louis area to make this vibration plate treatment available to children and young adults with spinal cord injuries. They have expanded its use to help many other conditions. As children gain muscle strength and control using the Galileo, they see improvements in their ability to care for themselves, leading to greater independence, participation in activities, and feelings of self-worth.
- Mini Explorers. These power mobility “cars” allow kids to explore and gain independence. They are ideal for kids who are not walking independently. Research shows kids should start using power mobility devices around age 2 if they may need them in the future. It’s important from a cognitive and social standpoint and helps with motor planning and body awareness. It also gives kids independence, which is important developmentally.
Flexibility for Families
Your child may come to Ranken Jordan for one to three weeks of physical, occupational and/or speech therapy at a frequency customized to their unique needs.
The outpatient intensive therapy program at Ranken Jordan offers your family flexibility, whether you come for one, two or three weeks at a time. Many outpatient intensive therapy programs have a set schedule with a specific block of time available. These strict schedules make it difficult for many working families to get into an outpatient intensive therapy program.
Our goal is to accommodate patient and family needs. We will work with you to design a program of physical, occupational and/or speech therapy that works best for you and your child and that maximizes our time together.
An Affordable, Accessible Option
At Ranken Jordan, we work hard to ensure our intensive therapy programs are covered by insurance whenever possible—and in most cases, we succeed. For patients requiring higher-frequency sessions (more than one hour per day per discipline) or those who have used all their covered visits, we offer an affordable self-pay option to keep therapy accessible.
Our team is also here to help with additional resources, including referrals to lodging options like Ronald McDonald House, Haven House, and discounted hotel rates, as well as other financial assistance opportunities to ease the burden of your stay in St. Louis.
Contact Us
To learn more about enrolling in Ranken Jordan’s Outpatient Intensive Therapy Program, please contact us at 314-872-6440.
Questions?
We’re here to help. Give us a call at (314)872-6440 to contact outpatient therapy.