Neurological Rehabilitation

If you have an injury or illness affecting your brain or nervous system, our neurological rehabilitation team can help. The experienced physical, occupational and speech therapists at Mizzou Therapy Services can help reduce your symptoms and guide your recovery.

Neurological injuries and illnesses can affect nearly every part of daily life, from walking and speaking to memory and coordination. Recovery often takes time, support and specialized rehabilitation.

At MU Health Care, our neurological rehabilitation team provides outpatient physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy in one convenient location in Columbia. Few clinics in the area provide all three services in one place. With this coordinated approach, we can help you reach your full potential.

Am I a Candidate for Neurological Rehab?

Our neurological rehabilitation specialists care a wide range of conditions, including:

ALS
Alzheimer’s disease
Anoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain)
Aphasia (communication disorder)
Balance disorders
Brain and spinal cord infections (meningitis)
Brain inflammation (encephalitis)
Brain tumors
Cerebral palsy
Concussion
Dementia
Multiple sclerosis
Normal pressure hydrocephalus (fluid buildup in the brain)
Parkinson’s disease
Peripheral neuropathy and polyneuropathy (nerve damage)
Spinal cord injury and other types of neurological trauma
Stroke
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Vestibular disorders (dizziness)

How to See Our Neurorehabilitation Specialists

If you have one of these conditions, our team can help. Your primary care doctor, neurologist, neurosurgeon or other specialist can refer you to us. Or you can reach out to us directly.

Our Approach to Neurological Rehabilitation

Neurological rehabilitation is highly personalized because every brain and nervous system condition affects people differently.

Our team creates personalized therapy plans designed around your goals and symptoms. Depending on your needs, therapy may focus on improving:

Balance and coordination
Cognitive functions like attention and memory
Speech and communication
Stamina
Strength
Vision
Functional mobility (walking, getting in and out of a chair, bed mobility)
Other functions

Your Neurological Rehabilitation Team

Improving function after a neurological injury or illness requires a coordinated, team approach. To support your rehabilitation, we’ve assembled a team of specialists at MU Health Care, including:

Neurologists: Manage the overall diagnosis and treatment of injuries and illnesses affecting your brain and nervous system.
Neurosurgeons: Offer advanced procedures for many brain and spinal conditions.
Physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists: Physicians who oversee neurological rehabilitation plans.
Physical therapists (PTs): Can help improve your mobility, balance and strength with specialized exercises and support.
Occupational therapists (OTs): Can provide functional, task-specific training to help you regain your ability to perform everyday activities.
ENT specialists: Provide care for dizziness and balance issues.
Speech therapists: Can help you with speech and swallowing issues associated with stroke, brain injuries and other neurological conditions.

Together, we will develop a personalized treatment plan using the specialized services available through our academic health system.

Specialized Neurological Rehab Services

We offer many advanced therapies and equipment that are not widely available at other centers in mid-Missouri.

Advanced Evaluation for Neurological Conditions

Our team uses specialized vestibular equipment like infrared goggles to evaluate dizziness, vertigo and balance disorders. By blocking out all external light, these goggles prevent the eyes from fixating on a single point, allowing for an accurate assessment of inner-ear signals. The goggles' infrared tracking uses internal night-vision cameras to record precise, magnified eye movement data, which we can analyze and use to provide treatment recommendations.

We may also use the Bertec Computerized Dynamic Posturography (CDP/IVR) system to test your balance. It uses a sensitive platform to measure your stability and a virtual reality dome to see how your brain uses information from your eyes and inner ears to help you stay steady.

Gait Training for Neurological Impairment

We use an overhead body weight supported system called the Bioness Vector. This system allows you to focus on gait training with support that moves with you every step of the way.

Specialized Mobility Assistance

The Bioness L300 Go is a wearable device that helps people who have trouble lifting their foot while walking. It uses small electrical pulses to stimulate your nerves, which helps lift your foot and steady your knee so you can walk more naturally and safely.

Computerized Dynamic Visual Acuity (cDVA) Testing

This test checks how well your eyes stay focused on a target while your head is moving. It helps our team track your recovery after a concussion or brain injury and measure balance issues.

Integrated Therapy for Brain Injuries

We offer a touchscreen-based tool that can help many people with stroke, brain injuries and other neurological conditions. The system uses interactive exercises to improve balance, coordination, standing endurance and other measures.

Functional Vision Training After Stroke

This occupational therapy treatment involves eye exercises using everyday activities to help restore vision. Functional visual training can also help improve reading, scanning and awareness of surroundings.