MU Children's Hospital's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation provides comprehensive, personalized care for children with physical or cognitive impairments due to injury or genetic illness. Our division offers a multidisciplinary approach to treatment that includes physicians and other health care experts from a wide variety of pediatric sub-specialties. Our goal is to give our young patients specialized care that will maximize their functional abilities.

Our physicians oversee and guide the full range of care each individual child needs in both in-patient and out-patient settings. They work with each of their young patients on optimizing physical function though the combined use of medicine, physical therapy and training. They also assess the need for and provide training in the use adaptive equipment, assistive devices, braces and prostheses. Our physicians are experts in providing each child the most comprehensive, individualized and compassionate care available.

Research

Our physicians hold faculty positions at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine in addition to their clinical practice. This partnership between Children's Hospital and the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine means our doctors are on the leading edge of physical medicine and rehabilitation diagnoses and treatments. Each of our physicians is actively involved in both teaching and research projects. Read about research done in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at University of Missouri-Columbia's School of Medicine.

We Care for Kids

Each of out team members is specifically trained to care for children. Their level of expertise and training makes them uniquely qualified to provide specialized care for children. They understand developmental milestones, children's physical needs at different ages, growth patterns and puberty, and take all of these things into account when caring for their young patients. Additionally, our pediatric specialists know how to relate to kids and are able to deliver care and education in a way that is kind, friendly and relatable to children. Our team members work in conjunction with TIPS for Kids, a training opportunity geared toward developing professional leaders who will enhance the system of care for children with special health care needs.

Children recovering from an injury or in need of rehabilitation due to a genetic disorder often require care from a wide variety of specialists. Our pediatric specialists have created several multidisciplinary teams to care for children with specific diagnoses. These teams provide each child expert, comprehensive care from a full range of sub-specialists. Each child receives care from a team specifically gathered to meet his or her individual needs.

Pediatric Cerebral Palsy Clinic

Our Cerebral Palsy Clinic offers each of our patients and their families comprehensive care and education. Each patient receives a complete care plan that addresses every aspect of the child's health and well-being. The team consists of a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician, a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon and a pediatrician specializing in pediatric development and neurology. The clinic also provides patients with consultations from dieticians, social services, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, orthotics and prosthetics, and seating and mobility specialists.

Spina Bifida Clinic

Our Spina Bifida Clinic uses a multidisciplinary approach to care for kids with Spina Bifida. We offer our young patients access to a wide array of pediatric specialists including physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, urologists, neurologists and neurosurgeons, depending on each child's individual needs.

Muscular Dystrophy Clinic (MDA Clinic)

Offered in association with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, this interdisciplinary clinic evaluates and manages patients' muscular dystrophy related care. Led by our pediatric neurologists, our muscular dystrophy patients receive care from physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, physical therapists and speech therapists to address their needs for therapy, splints, braces, and wheel chairs. MDA's muscular dystrophy coordinator provides additional support and advice to patients and their families through our clinic.

Wheelchair Seating and Positioning Clinic

This clinic offers a multidisciplinary approach to helping children who need walking assistance. Our team prescribes, orders and plans for complex walkers and wheelchairs. Team members including a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician and physical therapists, occupational therapists and equipment vendors work together to make sure each child is fitted properly for their assistive device and knows how to use it to its full capacity. Additionally, this team educates parents and primary caregivers on issues specific to children and assistive devices, like what to do when your child is in a car seat, tips on how to navigate a playground and other, specific questions each parent might have.

Some Health Conditions We Treat

• Spina Bifida
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Cerebral Palsy
• Traumatic Brain/Spine injury
• Orthopaedic multi-trauma
• Spasticity
• Amputation

Some Treatments We Offer

• Botox Injections
• Baclofen management and refill
• Baclofen pump
• Brace assessment
• Electrodiagnosis (NCS and EMG)
• Adaptive device assessment and prescription
• Medical management for brain injury

Who We Are

Jane Ann Emerson, MD, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Division Director
Rez Farid, MD, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Where We Are

Howard A. Rusk Rehabilitation Center
315 Business Loop 70 West
Columbia, Mo. 65302
(573) 817-2703

Professional Associations

American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine