Center for Physical Rehabilitation & Aquatics

Housed within the St. Margaret’s Center for Physical Rehabilitation and Aquatics, our Occupational Therapy team works with anyone who has a disabling mental illness or physical condition to improve his or her ability to perform tasks at home and in the workplace.

This type of treatment ranges from helping someone with a hand injury work on how to button a shirt, write or type to assisting a recovering stroke patient practice tasks like combing his or her hair or cooking a meal. Licensed Occupational Therapists help patients set up exercise programs to increase strength and dexterity, and they teach them how to use adaptive devices such as dressing/bath aids as well as adaptive kitchen utensils to increase safety and independence with daily routines.

Can occupational therapy help you?

According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, patients may benefit from occupational therapy if they have:

• Arthritis, multiple sclerosis or another chronic health condition.
• Mental health or behavioral problems, including Alzheimer’s disease and post-traumatic stress disorder.
• A learning problem or a developmental disability.
• A spinal cord injury, an amputation or a burn-related injury.
• Injuries related to falls.
• Effects from heart attack or stroke.

For kids and families dealing with childhood injuries, diseases and chronic conditions, maximizing independence takes center stage. But traditional adult therapy strategies often aren’t ideal for children. That makes it critical to choose a facility with a physical therapist on staff who specializes in helping kids with rehab needs – like the St. Margaret’s Center for Physical Rehabilitation and Aquatics.

Experience play with purpose, part of a family-centered program that assesses and treats children who have a wide variety of conditions, including genetic, congenital, developmental, neurological and orthopedic problems. Pediatric physical therapy resembles age-appropriate play, such as play that incorporates learning how to walk or helps a child participate at school.

Rehab therapies can include:

• Therapeutic listening, which uses sound stimulation to help restore kids’ sensory systems.
• “Astronaut training” to deal with balance problems.
• Kinesio taping to treat pain and disability from athletic injuries.
• Yamuna body rolling.
• Tri-plane movements to enhance strength and flexibility.

Discover the benefits of pediatric therapists and families working together to solve a child’s obstacles, as they work closely with visual and auditory specialists to advance movement and play skills.

What pediatric conditions do you treat?

The pediatric physical therapists at CPRA provide treatment for many diagnoses. These include:

• Developmental delay — when movement and play skills are below a child’s age level
• Congenital disorders — when a child is born with an issue such as a heart defect or hip dysplasia
• Genetic issues such as Down Syndrome and Williams Syndrome
• Orthopedic problems that may involve rehab of a broken bone or post-operative care
• Muscle tone problems
• Cerebral palsy
• Autism
• Torticollis (twisted neck)
• Plagiocephaly (flat skull) – today nearly half of all babies have a flat spot, which often results in developmental delays

Who will treat my child?

Ann Kois, MA, PT, is a physical therapist who specializes in pediatrics, the branch of medicine dealing with children and their diseases. She is a graduate of Old Dominion University and Wheaton College. Her passion is educating patients/parents on the treatment of developmental and neurological conditions. She emphasizes community integration – helping children fit into the world around them.

What can I expect from my child’s pediatric physical therapy?

A typical pediatric rehab session emphasizes education. Therapy goals focus on helping young patients at home, in school, with their hobbies and playing sports.

Pelvic floor therapy provides relief from incontinence, pain and more.

No one wants to talk about leaking urine when you cough or chronic pelvic pain from an injury or pregnancy – but everyone wants to find relief. If you’re dealing with concerns like these, know that many other women have similar issues and that physical therapy can help make a difference. You’ll find it here, with specially trained physical therapists at the St. Margaret’s Center for Physical Rehabilitation & Aquatics.

Pelvic floor therapy is an innovative treatment that can provide relief from conditions including:

• Urinary incontinence
• Urogynecologic pain syndromes
• Chronic pelvic pain
• Levator ani syndrome
• Vulvodynia
• Interstitial cystitis
• Pain during intercourse
• And more

How does pelvic floor therapy work?

The St. Margaret’s physical therapists are trained in assessing your condition to:

• Recognize the key signs and symptoms that lead to impairment
• Address functional limitations and disabilities
• Provide treatment to improve outcomes and produce results

What kinds of treatment will I get with pelvic floor therapy?

Treatment interventions as part of Pelvic Floor Therapy can include:

• Therapeutic exercise
• Manual therapy
• Patient education and behavioral instructions
• Surface electromyography (SEMG) biofeedback
• Electrotherapeutic modalities
• And more

What are some of the conditions that pelvic floor therapy can treat?

Urinary Incontinence

Did you know that an estimated 10-30% of women under the age of 65, 15-30% of women over 65 and 50% of women living in nursing homes have urinary incontinence? Because many women think this is an unmentionable issue, these statistics are probably on the low side of the actual number of American women who have incontinence problems.

With a referral from your doctor, you can have an evaluation of your pelvic floor muscles and work with St. Margaret’s therapists to strengthen or coordinate the pelvic floor to decrease the frequency and amount of urinary leakage.

Pelvic Pain

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is one of the most common medical problems affecting women today. Nearly 15% of all American women ages 18-50 suffer from CPP. This type of pain can be caused by many different things, including painful bladder syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, sexual trauma or physical abuse. CPP can even arise for no apparent reason without any source or cause.

Treatment can vary; however, after completing an evaluation, you may work with St. Margaret’s therapists on methods including manual therapy, stretching, pelvic floor strengthening, relaxation techniques and education on personal care.

Pregnancy and Postpartum Care

Research suggests that 50% of women experience low back or pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy. After the baby is delivered, some women develop pain due to the hormonal and anatomical changes that happen during pregnancy or due to labor and delivery.

You can work with our therapists to learn how to use exercise effectively, improve body mechanics and posture and reduce and manage your pain.

In addition to pediatric physical therapy, we offer physical therapy services to all other ages as well. Physical therapy is crucial to increasing mobility and strength that may be limited from illness, injury or a neuromuscular condition.  Our physical therapy staff design personalized treatment plans based on each patient’s individual needs and goals.

Common Physical Therapy Treatments include:

• Therapeutic exercises
• Joint mobilization
• Soft tissue mobilization (including ASTYM)
• Gait training
• Balance training
• Therapeutic ultrasound
• Electrical stimulation
• Vestibular rehabilitation

Common reasons that people need Physical Therapy:

• Back pain
• Accidents
• Rotator cuff injury
• Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury
• Joint replacements
• Generalized weakness
• Dizziness and Balance Deficits
• Tendonitis
• Sport injuries

St. Margaret’s speech therapists treat patients for inpatient and outpatient services.  Speech therapists will prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech language, social communication, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders in children and adults.

Benefits of Speech Therapy include:

• Improving speech
• Improving language
• Increase swallowing function
• Increase cognition

Common reasons people are referred to St. Margaret’s Speech Therapy:

• Stroke
• Speech delay
• Developmental delay
• Autism
• Voice disorders
• Difficulty swallowing
• Stuttering

Comprehensive medical care for athletes of all ages

There’s no way to score if you’re not in the game. The St. Margaret’s sports medicine staff is ready to tackle your sports injuries! Our winning team sees any individual— including high school, college, and recreational athletes— who has sustained an injury during practice or competition.

The sports medicine team can help with the prevention and treatment of ACL and MCL injuries, labral tears, concussions and stress fractures, with balanced options for training and recovery for hips, knees, feet and ankles. The clinic is accepting new patients and does not require a physician’s referral, though your insurance carrier may require preauthorization before your visit.

We currently cover the following local athletic programs:

• Illinois Valley Community College
• LaSalle-Peru Township High School
• Mendota High School
• Putnam County High School
• LaSalle-Peru Youth Football League

Athletic Performance Enhancement

The St. Margaret’s performance enhancement program is for athletes who want to improve all aspects of their athletic ability. You’ll work with an athletic trainer who will tailor a program to the specific performance areas that you want to work on. And we can help you improve specific skills in the sport (or sports) that you play.

What can I expect on the first day?

We’ll start by doing an initial evaluation for:

• General strength
• Flexibility
• Dynamic strength
• Quickness
• Vertical jumping
• Core stability

Based on the findings from your evaluation, we’ll create a personalized performance enhancement program for you that includes helping you set realistic performance goals. As your improvement sessions begin, we’ll emphasize using the proper technique while doing your exercises so you get the most benefit.

What can I expect on the last day?

At the conclusion of the program, we’ll do a final evaluation to determine the gains you’ve made. This final assessment will cover the same areas that we measured during your initial evaluation. We’ll then give you recommendations on what you should focus on as you prepare for your sport’s coming season.

How much does the performance enhancement program cost?

The fee for each one-hour, semiprivate session in the performance enhancement program is $20. You can sign up for either 10 sessions ($200) or 20 sessions ($400). A $100 deposit is required when you enroll.

Video Motion Analysis for Running is $75 for assessment and corrective exercises. $30 if additional 30-minute sessions are needed.

Who do I contact for more information?

Please call 815.780.3509 for any questions you may have regarding the performance enhancement program at St. Margaret’s.

Treatment for Concussions

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1.6 to 3.8 million concussions are sustained yearly, with a growing trend targeting younger, middle school athletes. You might feel fine other than a headache, but untreated concussions can have delayed, significant symptoms. In fact, every concussion impacts the way your brain functions. If left untreated, concussions can cause long-lasting impacts.

The St. Margaret’s Concussion Management Clinic is ready to help you stay ahead of the injury. Headed by Dr. David O’Donnell, our team of health care professionals are focused on providing quick, responsive concussion care in addition to baseline testing and education for our surrounding communities.

What is a concussion?

The CDC defines a concussion as a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that can change the way your brain normally works. Concussions can also occur from a fall or a blow to the body that causes the head and brain to move quickly back and forth.

Concussion Assessment

Our concussion management health care team will perform extensive neurocognitive tests to determine if a TBI occurred. The use of CT scans assists us in seeing a detailed picture of your brain. We also perform a variety of tests that assess your brain function ranging from memory skills, attention span, concentration and problem solving.

Athletic Concussions

As concussion numbers rise in our youth, so does the progression to provide stringent guidelines for athletes who have sustained concussions wishing to return to play. We are a credentialed provider of ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing). As an ImPACT provider, we have access to the most state-of-the-art computerized concussion evaluation system. This program assists our health care providers in making the most informed decision on a safe return to play, thus limiting the likelihood of a long-term injury.

How do I know if I have a concussion?

Symptoms of concussions can come in a variety of different forms. If you have experienced a head injury, seek medical care for official diagnosis. Some signs of a concussion can be:

• Physical – Headache, nausea, vomiting, balance problems, dizziness, visual problems, fatigue, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to noise, numbness/tingling, feeling dazed or stunned
• Cognitive – Feeling mentally foggy or slowed down, difficulty concentrating or remembering, forgetful, confused, answers questions slowly, repeats questions
• Emotional – Irritability, sadness, overemotional, nervousness
• Sleep – Drowsiness, sleeping more or less than normal, trouble falling asleep

St. Margaret’s therapy pool offers water therapy to individuals rehabbing from an injury, illness or chronic condition such as osteoarthritis. Exercising in an aquatic environment decreases weight impact on painful joints and spines due to water buoyancy counteracting gravity.

The therapy pool water is kept at a soothing 89 to 92 degrees, providing a relaxing environment to move in. Additionally, pool users may easily enter the pool through a gentle incline of four-inch steps or use a hydraulic lift. Once in the water, you’ll find a convenient railing to help you keep your balance.

What are the benefits to aquatic therapy?

• Muscle relaxation
• Increased joint mobility
• Flexibility
• Improved heart and lung function
• Improved balance
• Pain management for those suffering from osteoarthritis
• Decreased pain sensitivity
• Decreased blood pressure

What features does the therapy pool offer?

Our therapy pool has 1,500 square feet of usable water space and offers a wide array of features to meet the needs of our patients.

• Dedicated Exercise Deck. This particular section of the pool has three underwater exercise bikes and two underwater treadmills at different depths to add versatility. There is also an elliptical (step) machine. The deck is surrounded by a hand rail.
• Jet Seats. At the other end of the pool, you’ll find jet seats where you can target flowing streams of water to soothe different regions of your body. There is also a hand jet that lets you massage virtually any part of your body.
• Resistance Swimming. If you are already at a good fitness level, the very end of the pool has a 6 ½ foot deep area where a Badu jet creates a water current that you can exercise and swim against.
• Resistance Exercises. The aquatic rehabilitation experience is fully rounded out with exercise crosses and tethers that you can attach to your hands and feet to apply resistance to work against. This allows you to take advantage of the decompressive yet supportive properties of water while being able to add resistance to strengthen the tissue surrounding a sore joint.