Outpatient Rehab for Brain Injury

Brain injuries are caused when something hits your head hard enough to damage your brain. Such incidents can occur from a fall, car accident, or even an assault. Though such injuries can be serious, there are ways to repair the damage, including outpatient rehab for brain injury, which your doctor may recommend.

Rehab is an important part of recovery since it can help reduce the symptoms associated with a brain injury. The brain injury rehab usually involves rehabilitation therapies, like physical, occupational, and speech therapy, emotional support, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Let’s take a look at what some of these rehab therapies entail in terms of brain injury recovery.

Nurse providing outpatient rehab services to a senior woman with brain injury and playing games with cups

Outpatient Rehab for Brain Injury Includes Occupational Therapy

A brain injury can result in various cognitive, psychological, and physical limitations. If these functions are impaired, you may have difficulty performing even the simplest daily tasks. Even those you do every day, such as bathing, writing, cleaning, or dressing, can become a struggle. That’s why one of the most important parts of outpatient rehab for brain injury is occupational therapy.

An occupational therapist is trained to help you relearn those day-to-day tasks. During outpatient therapy, you’ll receive the help you need in real-life settings. You’ll re-learn these skills right in your own home to match the setting you’ll be dealing with every day.

As well as self-care skills, like bathing or brushing your teeth, occupational therapy has other benefits for brain injuries. Cognitive, social, memory, and coping skills will slowly improve until you regain your independence.

Physical therapy

After a brain injury, you may experience muscle weakness or spasms and a loss of coordination and mobility. To help combat these issues, physical therapy may be recommended as outpatient rehab for brain injury. A trained physical therapist can help you restore the physical functions you’ve lost.

Physical therapy can include a variety of activities, including stretching, exercise, and balance techniques. These help you regain muscle mass, improve your strength, and increase mobility. The treatment is tailored to meet your needs to ensure the safest and fastest recovery possible.

Outpatient physical therapy also includes a combination of holistic methods and state-of-the-art equipment. This could include stair training, mat exercises, or electrical stimulation right in your home. You’ll be comfortable while still getting the benefits of a fully trained therapist during your recovery.

Speech therapy

Some common symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can include speech, language, and swallowing issues. You may even have difficulty understanding what others are saying or comprehending what you read. Due to these issues, another aspect of outpatient rehab for brain injury is speech therapy.

A speech therapist focuses on different aspects of speech, including breathing techniques, voice production, and slowing your speech rate. Together, these aspects can help improve communication with others. As your speech improves, your confidence also increases for a more productive recovery.

Improving cognitive functions is also an important part of speech therapy. It includes activities designed to help increase logic and perception when conversing with others. Your memory will also improve, as will your attention span. Even swallowing exercises are included to ensure you can eat safely after a brain injury.

This article contains informational and educational materials and does not replace health or medical advice. For questions or concerns regarding your medical condition or health objectives, speak to a qualified physician or healthcare provider.