Spinal Cord Injury Medicine & Rehabilitation
If you or a loved one experiences a spinal cord injury, trust Burke Rehabilitation to restore your abilities as much as possible and prevent complications. We offer inpatient and outpatient services to help optimize your recovery at every stage.
Conditions We Treat
Trust the Burke spinal cord injury experts to diagnose and treat:
- Traumatic spinal cord injuries
- Myelopathies
- Spinal cord tumors
- Spinal cord or vertebral infections
- Transverse myelitis
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Spinal cord infarctions and aneurysms
Inpatient & Outpatient Care
Your doctor will recommend the right level of care for your needs:
- Inpatient rehabilitation – You stay at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and receive rehabilitation care:
- Up to three hours of therapy each weekday and up to two hours of therapy over the weekend in a combination of physical, occupational, and/or speech therapy as needed.
- Use of advanced technologies including robotics to improve strength and functional abilities in all muscle groups, including for walking
- Nurses and doctors care for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Outpatient rehabilitation – You stay at home and visit us for therapy and/or doctor appointments.
CARF Certified Spinal Cord Specialty Programs
Burke Rehabilitation inpatient and outpatient spinal cord specialty programs hold CARF accreditation. You can expect to receive the highest-quality, innovative care from our compassionate staff.
Inpatient Care
Admission to Inpatient Rehab
Your doctor, social worker or another professional may refer you to Burke Rehabilitation Hospital for inpatient spinal cord care. We’ll review your medical records and insurance coverage, and a nurse may visit you to evaluate your health and confirm our program is right for your needs. Your condition should be stable (not worsening), and you should be able to take part in three hours of therapy each weekday, spread over morning and afternoon.
If you have questions, call the screening department at (914) 597-2519 or email us. See a list of insurance plans we participate with and talk to your insurance provider about your care coverage.
Inpatient Rehabilitation Care
Our staff works together compassionately to:
- Help you meet your goals and ongoing needs
- Improve your overall health and function
- Increase your level of independence
- Provide emotional support and education
- Prepare you and your family to transition home or to another level of care after your stay in the hospital
For additional information about the program, please refer to the program description. [pdf]
Learn what you can expect at Burke Rehabilitation—from the time you arrive to when you are discharged:
Team
Your Burke Rehabilitation Hospital care team puts you at the center of goal setting and treatment. Team members meet weekly to discuss how you’re doing and adjust your personalized care plan so you make steady progress. Team members may include:
- Spinal cord injury doctor and other specialty doctors
- Neurologic music therapist
- Neuropsychologist
- Nurses
- Occupational therapist
- Physical therapist
- Recreational therapist
- Respiratory therapist
- Social worker/case manager
- Speech-language pathologist
Inpatient Support Services
From the moment you’re admitted to the hospital, we’ll make sure you get all the health services you need, including:
- Electrodiagnostic testing
- Lab tests
- Nutrition services
- Orthotics (braces and splints)
- Pharmacy services
- Radiology
- Spiritual care
- Swallowing tests
- Wheelchair fitting
- Wound care
- Family support
Inpatient Education
You and your family will learn how your condition or injury affects your abilities and how to take care of yourself going forward. Lean on us for help to adjust to your “new normal.” Your loved ones play an important role in recovery, so we’ll involve them in your care whenever possible.
Outcomes
View our outcomes report to see information about our spinal cord injury care.
Leaving the Hospital
Discharge planning starts early in your stay at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital. A social worker or case manager will talk with you, your family and the rehabilitation team to recommend the next steps after leaving the hospital. Options may include:
- Go home and receive in-home therapy
- Return home and start outpatient rehabilitation
- Transition to another facility for continuing care
Your best option depends on your home environment, level of support, and your current health and abilities. Most patients go home after discharge. Learn more outcomes information about our neurological program.
Outpatient Physician Care
You can continue your recovery and receive ongoing care from a Board-certified Burke spinal cord injury medicine doctor in our physician practice group. You’ll have access to the latest rehabilitation practices and research to continue your recovery and maintain your quality of life. Learn about some of the tests and treatments available by appointment.
Electrodiagnostic Testing
To learn how well your muscles and nerves work, a doctor may perform:
- Electromyography (EMG) – Places thin needles in a muscle to record its electrical activity as you move
- Nerve conduction study – Stimulates your nerves with electricity and measures how fast the electrical signals travel
The results of these tests help your doctor determine what treatment you might need.
Spasticity Clinic
Damage to your brain, spine or nerves can cause spasticity - uncontrolled movements of your muscles that can lead to weakness, pain or interference with activities of daily living. Burke Rehabilitation specialists will create a custom treatment plan to help you regain muscle control, so you can do more of your daily activities.
Muscle Tone Management Injections
Burke’s rehabilitation medicine doctors work with our occupational therapists in a coordinated program that uses botulinum toxin (e.g. Botox) injections - and functional exercise. We help manage arm muscle tone and spasticity and recovery of the functional use of your arms and hands.
Intrathecal Baclofen Pump
If oral medications don’t work well enough to treat your spasticity (stiff, tight muscles), your doctor may recommend an intrathecal pump. A surgeon places this pump in your abdomen, and it sends a muscle relaxant called Baclofen to your spine. This reduces spasticity, so you can move more easily.
Nerve Blocks
Nerve blocks stop nerves from sending pain signals to a certain area of the body. Your doctor injects an anesthetic or anti-inflammatory medicine, often under imaging guidance, to make sure the injection targets the right spot. You may feel pain relief for up to several months.
Neuropsychological Rehabilitation
Burke neuropsychologists perform assessments to diagnose brain function problems caused by injury or illness and help plan return to work or school. Rehabilitation psychology services, including cognitive remediation and psychotherapy, help you cope with medical challenges and maximize your potential. Learn more about neuropsychological rehabilitation.
Outpatient Spinal Cord Therapy
If medically indicated, your doctor will prescribe outpatient therapy. When you start outpatient rehabilitation therapy with Burke, you will work one-on-one with a dedicated therapist who will treat you for your entire course of therapy. You will receive treatment several times per week for up to 60 minutes per session. We’ll measure your progress periodically and adjust the treatment plan if needed, so you always get the most benefit from your therapy.
Learn about some of the therapies available to you as an outpatient.
Upper Limb Recovery and Training
Burke’s occupational therapists help you recover function in your arms and hands. We offer customized treatment using the latest research and technologies, including electrical stimulation programs and devices.
Muscle Tone Management
Burke’s physical medicine and rehabilitation doctors evaluate muscle spasm and rigidity. They give botulinum toxin (e.g., Botox) injections or nerve blocks to reduce excessive muscle tone. Our doctors work with Burke physical and occupational therapists, who engage patients in functional exercises. The combined treatment helps manage arm and leg muscle tone and spasticity and recovery of the functional use of your arms, hands, fingers, ankles and toes.
Functional Electric Stimulation
Burke’s advanced certified physical therapists use the latest electric stimulation devices and programs to improve walking in people with neurologic impairments. People with paralysis and movement problems benefit from large muscle functional electrical stimulation to move their legs and arms and maintain strength and tone.
Gait (Walking) Rehabilitation
Burke physical therapists may utilize gait training and locomotor training for your therapy regimen. This includes body weight support systems over ground, such as the Vector, and on the treadmill, and wearable devices that help you coordinate muscle movement.
Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC)
Burke’s speech-language pathologists can assist you in establishing your candidacy for compensatory communication methods, from “low-tech” communication boards and index cards to “high-tech” speech generating AAC devices.
Swallowing Evaluations and Treatment
Your ability to chew and swallow food is critical to your safety and quality of life. Burke’s speech-language pathologists will assess your ability to chew and swallow foods and liquids via clinical exam and tests (modified barium swallow or fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing) and will recommend swallowing treatment as needed.
Wheelchair Clinic
Burke’s certified Assistive Technology Practitioner provides extensive seating and positioning evaluations Learn more about our Wheelchair Clinic.
Social Services
Burke’s licensed clinical social worker helps people who are currently receiving therapy for spinal cord injury as outpatients. Get help connecting to resources, navigating insurance and applications for charity care, housing and more. Feel supported emotionally and develop effective coping skills. By appointment.
Programs for SCI
Participate in our fun and educational programs for people living with SCI. These programs improve knowledge, abilities and confidence. You will be better equipped to go back to work, school or fulfill your family roles.
Take Back Control
A program funded by the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, this program helps participants manage neurogenic bowel and bladder control in order to more confidently live a fulfilling and active life. This program is offered to hospital patients.
Burke Everything Else Education Program (BEEEP)
A semester-long program funded by the Christopher & Dana Reeves Foundation, it includes seminar education on navigating life while living with a spinal cord injury, plus adaptive sports and leisure activities for the group members.
Community Events
Join the fun and try new sports and leisure activities with our annual adaptive events taking place throughout the year and our regular schedule of Adaptive Sports & Fitness events.
Neurological Exercise Program
Join Burke’s Fitness & Wellness Center to participate in a structured exercise program after discharge from outpatient therapy. Build on your therapy gains with cardio conditioning and muscle training in this program run jointly by the Fitness Center and the Physical Therapy Department. Participants must be medically cleared to join this self-pay program.
SCI Support Group
Burke hosts an SCI support group (currently virtual) open to anyone in the community affected by SCI, including caregivers and loved ones. Learn effective coping strategies and share experiences. Call 914 597-2497 or email eandreassi@burke.org for more information and check for meetings on our Calendar of Classes & Events.
