Orthopaedic Rehab

What is orthopaedic rehab?

The orthopaedic rehab program is one of our most extensive programs at Bryn Mawr Rehab, part of Main Line Health. With a primary focus on helping patients build strength, mobility and endurance for a variety of orthopaedic conditions, including:

Patients admitted to Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, located in Malvern, Pennsylvania, undergo three hours of intensive therapy a minimum of five days a week. Each patient benefits from a customized treatment regimen which may include:

  • Higher intensity physical and occupational therapy
  • Psychology
  • Cognitive retraining
  • Recreational therapy

On the inpatient side, a typical orthopaedic rehab session starts with pain reduction before increasing to range of motion, strength, mobility, coordination and endurance. In addition to traditional physical and occupational therapy, our orthopaedic rehab team offers creative treatment options like horticulture therapy and pet therapy to help orthopaedic rehab patients make progress toward their therapy goals.

Our dedicated team develops creative, individualized exercises that motivate therapeutic work, especially in the face of frustration. Initial goals include:

  • Improving mobility with gait and transfer training
  • Easing daily activities with prescribed adaptive aids
  • Alleviating pain through medical management and therapy

People who see us for inpatient care are encouraged to continue the healing process through our comprehensive outpatient programs. To find an outpatient orthopaedic rehab near you, we offer locations throughout Philadelphia.

450 — number of orthopaedic rehab inpatients between the ages of 18 and 97 each year
14 — average number of days patients stay on-site
84 — percentage of inpatients able to return home after discharge

View our patient outcome report

Outpatient orthopaedic rehabilitation motivates to succeed

Orthopaedic rehabilitation is customized to the goals and interests that best motivate our patients. At a Bryn Mawr Rehab outpatient location near you, orthopaedic rehab services may include:

Family support for orthopaedic rehab

Potentially immobilizing conditions like joint replacement and severe fractures can require support from family members. Throughout inpatient rehab, our team provides patients and their families with an expansive education on fall prevention and home safety, adaptive equipment use, pain management and training to assist with mobility and activities of daily living, as appropriate.

We encourage and support patient and family education whenever possible to ease the transition to an active lifestyle after hospitalization. To keep families involved during inpatient rehab, Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital offers on-site guest accommodations for family members who do not live locally.

Orthopaedics at Main Line Health

Orthopaedics at Main Line Health offers a team of orthopaedic doctors with expertise in subspecialties such as hand and wrist surgery, shoulder and elbow surgery, spine surgery, joint replacement and sports medicine care. We provide a full range of treatment options including non-surgical and minimally invasive surgeries, hip and knee replacement procedures, hand surgeries, neuro-orthopaedic procedures and orthopaedic rehabilitation at all four of our acute care hospitals.

Related specialties

Stroke Rehab

Inpatient and outpatient stroke rehabilitation treatment and complex stroke treatment. We develop a unique stroke rehab therapy plan that help patients immediately build on their strengths and learn to compensate for limitations.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy and sensory integration helps patients who’ve experienced a debilitative injury or illness return to activities of daily living (ADL), such as dressing, eating, writing, shopping, toileting and driving.

Equestrian Therapy

Equine-assisted therapy provides physical as well as cognitive benefits for a person’s recovery. As the horse walks, the repetitive swinging motion helps to improve the person’s balance, coordination and strength and muscle tone through the trunk and legs. Cognitive skills improve because riding requires balance, stability, timing and planning.

Assistive Technology Services

Disability and assistive technology combines technological invention with modern medicine, helping people with physical and cognitive disabilities acquire and use devices that help improve mobility and independence.

Work Hardening Program

For people with work-related injuries and chronic pain, we offer a range of therapies through RehabWorks, a worker rehabilitation program that brings together a multidisciplinary team to support people who have lost functional capacity due to a work-related illness or injury.

Hand Therapy

A hand therapy specialist is well-versed in a variety of methods and works to develop a personalized regimen for the unique needs of every patient. Our patients come from all walks of life—from young athletes to long-term arthritis sufferers to accidental burn victims.

Spinal Cord Rehab

Where you’ll receive innovative inpatient and outpatient spinal cord rehabilitation care at one of the country's most respected acute rehabilitation hospitals, and 92 percent of our inpatients reach their goals upon discharge and 83 percent of outpatients meet theirs.

Horticultural Therapy Center

Getting well doesn’t just happen from a hospital bed or inside a gym. Sometimes, letting patients get back to nature is the key to physical and psychological recovery.

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