Rehabilitation Medicine

Rehabilitation medicine works to help restore movement and functional ability, and enhance quality of life for people who have physical disabilities or injuries. Rehabilitation medicine specialists—also called physiatrists—are physicians who specialize in the rehabilitation care and medical management of children who have musculoskeletal conditions.

Working closely with other specialty areas such as neurology, neurosurgery, and orthopedics, our physicians treat conditions such as cerebral palsy and related conditions,  neuromuscular disorders, as well as many other conditions that affect your child’s development. They oversee rehabilitation care when children experience loss of function secondary to brain injury, spinal cord injury, illness or stroke.

At Gillette Children’s, you’ll have access to the highest concentration of pediatric rehabilitation medicine specialists in the nation. Gillette is one of just three pediatric specialty programs in Minnesota accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) to meet the needs of young children and adolescents seeking acute inpatient rehabilitation. Gillette is one of eight U.S. pediatric inpatient rehabilitation facilities to have CARF accreditation for both its pediatric specialty and pediatric brain injury programs. 

Rehabilitation medicine specialists treat children, teens and adults who have a wide variety of disabilities and complex conditions. It can also help if your child has experienced a traumatic or sports injury.

Rehabilitation medicine can benefit people who have:

• Cerebral palsy.
• Brain injury and related neurotrauma, including concussion.
• Spinal cord injury and related neurotrauma.
• Complex movement disorders.
• Deep brain stimulation for dystonia.
• Muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular conditions.
• Pediatric multiple sclerosis and other neuroimmunological conditions.
• Spina bifida.
• Birth brachial plexus injury.
• Chronic pain.
• Had orthopedic single event multilevel surgery (SEMLS), selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) surgery or other major surgeries that require rehabilitation therapies.
• Amputations and missing limbs.
• Intrathecal baclofen pump for spasticity or dystonia.

You’ll have access to the latest technology and techniques in rehabilitation medicine at Gillette.

For Medical Management of a Complex Condition

If your child has cerebral palsy, spasticity or other complex movement disorders your Gillette specialist might recommend evaluations and treatments like:

• Injecting botulinum toxin and phenol, which are spasticity medications.
• Implanting and managing an intrathecal baclofen pump, which stores and delivers targeted amounts of medication to the spine.
• Use of deep brain stimulation to manage dystonia

For Rehabilitation After Surgery or Injury

If your child needs rehabilitation care following a complex procedure like selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) surgery or single event multilevel surgery (SEMLS), or traumatic brain injury or  spinal cord injury, Gillette can help with:

• Comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation.
• Planning for and rehabilitation care.  

For Diagnosing a Condition

The first step in an integrated treatment plan is an accurate diagnosis. Gillette offers these evaluations to help diagnose a condition:

• Spasticity evaluations for brain or spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy and stroke.
• ImPACT testing for concussion and related neurotrauma.
• Gait and motion analysis for walking and movement disorders.
• Infant and Toddler Development Evaluation
• Assessment of complex movement disorders.