Pediatric Rehabilitative Services

Integrated Services to Restore Mobility and Resume Daily Activities for Children

For children who have lost muscular strength, coordination or function due to an illness or injury, Loyola Medicine’s pediatric rehabilitative services team provides expert care. We work with children to help restore their ability to perform normal, daily activities, from brushing teeth to playing sports.

At Loyola, we emphasize a team approach in caring for your child. Our therapists partner with pediatricians, physiatrists, athletic trainers, surgeons, nurse practitioners, pediatric pain management experts and a variety of specialists to offer world-class therapy services.

We have expertise in providing comprehensive rehabilitation care for children who experience routine problems, as well as disabling, chronic disorders, including:

Loyola’s therapists start their services with a comprehensive evaluation, gathering your child’s medical history and talking with you and your child to understand the impact of his or her condition on everyday living, movement and self-care activities.

We offer a full range of treatment options and tailor our recommendations for your child’s age and abilities. Our goal is to help your child get back to his or her daily activities as soon as possible.

Why Choose Loyola for Pediatric Rehabilitative Services?

Loyola’s pediatric therapists take an integrated approach to caring for pediatric injuries and conditions. Our team understands the particular developmental needs of children and ensures that each child receives comprehensive, individualized care.

Loyola’s clinicians welcome families to be involved in all aspects of diagnosis, treatment and recovery; they are available to answer any questions and address any concerns you might have.

Comprehensive Rehabilitative Services for Infants, Children and Adolescents

Loyola offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient therapy services for children, from newborns to teens. We use evidence-based therapeutic methods to tailor our treatment to your child’s age and abilities. Our goal is to help your child regain as much function as possible while building a sense of independence. Our multidisciplinary staff is committed to improving the quality of life of children and to make daily activities easier for families.

Your child’s therapist will create a unique treatment plan for your child. The type of treatment and the duration of therapy will depend on your child’s condition. Our unique therapy programs include:

• Audiology — Loyola’s pediatric audiologists help children adapt to living with hearing aids and cochlear implants, improve listening skills and assist with speech (lip) reading. We partner with and make referrals to Loyola’s otolaryngologists (ENT) and speech-language therapy team.
• Biofeedback — Our specialists use a system of electrodes and sensors connected to a monitor to help children increase awareness of bodily functions such as heart rate, breathing and blood pressure. Biofeedback can promote relaxation and treat or prevent chronic pain, incontinence or stress-related conditions.
• Concussion rehabilitation — Loyola’s therapists closely monitor a patient’s symptoms and health status throughout recovery from a concussion. We also help decide when athletes are ready to return to play.
• Dance therapy — The therapists and athletic trainers in our dance-focused rehabilitation program help dancers overcome injuries and prevent future injuries. We help children recover from ankle and foot injuries, knee or back pain and other orthopaedic conditions through our various sports performance programs.
• Occupational therapy — Occupational therapists can help improve a child’s play skills and self-care activities such as dressing, bathing and self-feeding. We work with fine motor skills, visual perceptual motor skills, muscle coordination and motions of the shoulders, arms and hands.
• Physical therapy — Loyola’s physical therapists work with children who have motor development and movement dysfunction. They provide treatment to improve many issues related to movement, including balance, walking, gait abnormalities, neurological problems, injuries and wounds.
• Speech therapy — Our experienced team helps children to be confident and effective communicators. We work with children who have difficulty with language, speech, articulation, learning and swallowing.

Loyola’s rehabilitative specialists can recommend braces, wheelchairs and other equipment for children with physical disabilities. We also provide individual bowel management programs for children with incontinence.