Rehabilitation and therapy services
Lewis County Health System Rehabilitation Department offers many services to improve your quality of life. Each patient takes an active role in making decisions about their care. Patients receive specialized services to help them achieve goals and gain maximum independence.
Types of rehabilitation services include:
McKenzie Method Back Therapy
Physical Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Pelvic Floor Therapy
Hand Therapy
LSVT Big and LSVT Loud
Speech & Language Therapy
Vestibular Therapy
Pediatric Therapy
Physical Therapy
At Lewis County Health System, we offer outpatient physical therapy services for patients (adolescent to geriatric) recovering from orthopedic, neurological, cardiopulmonary, and vestibular impairments of all diagnoses. All patients with a valid medical prescription get a thorough individualized assessment of their specific problem. Plans of care are geared toward restoring prior levels of function and maximizing patients’ potential. Using a team approach, frequent communication with the referring physician and other health care providers is emphasized. All of our outpatient physical therapists have advanced degrees, and some have advanced certifications within specialized niches.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapists at LCHS focus on rehabilitating patients in order to maximize their functional independence or adapt their environment to suit their needs.
Our evaluations provide a comprehensive and objective assessment of functional limitations and weakness. Through the use of the FOCUS and BTE work simulators, we can measure functional abilities using realistic activities. The BTE work simulator is commonly used with hand patients to regain lost skills following stroke, fractures, carpal tunnel surgery, trauma, or other medical conditions. A variety of attachments simulate tasks such as starting a car, opening a jar, gripping, pinching and using various hand tools such as screwdrivers.
Computer printouts allow the Therapist and Physician to track progress through detailed graphs and summaries. Treatment sessions can be compared using objective data to determine the ability to return to work.
Audiology
Chances are that you or someone you know could benefit from the services at Lewis County Health System’s Audiology Center.
The state-of-the-art Audiology Center is staffed by Audiologist Karen Borawski. Karen received her Master’s degree in Audiology from the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh, completed her externship at the Rome Developmental Center and her full-time clinical fellowship at the Children’s Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Utica. Karen has been a full-time clinical audiologist for over 35 years in Northern New York.
People are referred to an audiologist by their physician for diagnostic testing of the auditory system (hearing), the vestibular system (balance mechanism), and/or rehabilitation of a hearing loss. The reason for these visits may include difficulty hearing, ear pain, ear infection, ringing in the ears, balance problems, speech delays or screening of newborns at risk for hearing loss.
For more information, please call (315) 376-5225.
The Balance Center
Balance is an important part of everyday life as we go about our activities of daily living such as driving a car, shopping, walking on stairs, or picking up something dropped on the floor. Rarely do we think about balance until we have a problem. When balance problems manifest themselves they can cause serious problems in your everyday life. Some indications of balance problems are: dizziness or unsteadiness, loss of strength or feeling in your legs, and/or a loss of confidence in your ability to get around.
The Smart Equitest Balance Manager System at LCHS allows our trained clinicians, with a Physician’s order, to evaluate you to determine which one of these systems you may be having problems with. The center will utilize a multidisciplinary approach and each treatment will be customized to each individual. The goal is to maximize the patient’s ability to move safely and independently in their home environment.
Speech Therapy
Speech-language therapy is the treatment for people with speech and/or language disorders. A speech disorder refers to a problem with the actual production of sounds, whereas a language disorder refers to a difficulty understanding or putting words together to communicate ideas. Speech disorders include the following problems:
Articulation disorders include difficulties producing sounds in syllables or saying words incorrectly to the point that other people can't understand what's being said.
Fluency disorders include problems such as stuttering, the condition in which the flow of speech is interrupted by abnormal stoppages, repetitions (st-st-stuttering), or prolonging sounds and syllables (ssssstuttering).
Resonance or voice disorders include problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice that distract listeners from what's being said. These types of disorders may also cause pain or discomfort for the child when speaking.
Dysphagia/oral feeding disorders, including difficulties with eating and swallowing.
Language disorders can be either receptive or expressive: Receptive disorders refer to difficulties understanding or processing language. Expressive disorders include difficulty putting words together, limited vocabulary, or inability to use language in a socially appropriate way.
LCHS Speech Therapy Hours of Operation: on-call basis as needed.
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Physical Therapy
Lewis County Health System's Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Physical Therapy includes treatment for pre-natal/ postpartum pain and dysfunction, post-gynecological surgery, incontinence/pelvic floor weakness and pelvic pain.
If you are experiencing these or other musculoskeletal problems, speak to your physician about a referral to the Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Therapy Program. The program is located at LCHS’s Outpatient Therapy department on the main campus in Lowville.
For more information call 315-376-5225.
Physical Therapy for Urinary Incontinence and Pelvic Pain
Physical Therapy
Services offered:
Sports Injury Management
Isokinetic, Isotonic and Isometric Evaluation & Treatment
Functional Capacity Testing/Pre-Employment Screening/Work Hardening
Modalities to include: ultrasound, electric stimulation, iontophoresis, traction, hot packs, cold packs, massage, TENS
McKenzie Method Back Therapy
Gait Training
Wheelchair Fitting
Splint Fabrication/Fitting
Group Therapy including Sensory Stimulation, Therex & Ambulation
Therapeutic Exercise
Balance/Vestibular Training
Bladder Therapy
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Therapy
Ergonomic Evaluation and Modification
ADI, Instruction/Functional Activity Training
Evaluation & Treatment of Speech Language and Cognition
Swallow Evaluation & Therapy
Patient Education
Drug Testing (Urine, Breath Alcohol & Hair)
Lewis County Health System Physical Therapy Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 7am-5pm with weekend coverage as needed.
Occupational Therapy
Services Offered
Home Evaluations
Home Health Services
Activities of Daily Living Skills (ADL’s)
Assess Adaptive Equipment Needs
Address Upper Extremity Impairment
Hand Assessment & Therapy
Fluidotherapy (used to decrease edema & increase motion)
Lewis County Health System Occupational Therapy Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 7am-4pm with weekend coverage as needed.