Rehabilitation

What to expect at a Riverside Rehabilitation Center

Riverside rehabilitation professionals work as a team to develop a personalized recovery and rehabilitation plan designed especially for you. Your team will address all aspects of rehabilitation and may include the following professionals:

  • A physiatrist is a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Riverside rehabilitation centers are the only centers on the Peninsula with physiatrist-directed programs. Your physiatrist is the doctor who will oversee your recovery program.
  • Rehabilitation nurses provide individual nursing care and reinforce the skills learned in therapy.
  • A physical therapist will help you regain independence by increasing your strength and mobility. You will practice getting in and out of a bed, walking with a cane or crutches, and go up and down stairs.
  • An occupational therapist will help you learn to navigate your environment so that you can get back to normal activities as quickly as possible.

Your stay

We want to make your stay as pleasant as possible and hope you find our newly remodeled inpatient rooms more like a hotel than a health care setting.
  • Our newly designed rooms have cable TV and phone service.
  • Family members are always welcome. We encourage their visits and participation in your rehabilitation program.
  • Our centers are arranged so that short-term patients like you are in a separate unit from long-term patients.
  • While you may not have a private room, your roommate, if you have one, will be a fellow short-term patient.
  • Please bring comfortable, loose-fitting clothing such as sweatsuits appropriate for your therapy sessions.

Your treatment plan

Every patient has a unique plan developed just for you. When you arrive, your physiatrist and physical therapists will assess many aspects of your health and movement including:
  • Medical history
  • Exercise history
  • Balance
  • Strength
  • Range of movement or flexibility
  • Functional limitations
  • Goals

Based on the assessment of your condition, overall health and exercise history, your medical team will develop an individualized plan designed to help you become mobile and independent. If you have had hip or knee replacement surgery, here are activities we will work with you to achieve before you leave the Center:

  • Get in and out of bed by yourself
  • Walk using your walker or crutches
  • Get in and out of the shower by yourself
  • Get in and out of a chair
  • Manage steps at home
  • Get in and out of your car
  • Do daily tasks without injuring your new joint