Rehabilitation Center

Benefits of Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy may facilitate recovery from the following conditions:

Orthopedic Conditions

• Cervical spine and back pain
• Fracture
• Bone or soft tissue injuries
• Sports injury
• Post-surgery rehabilitation
• Hand therapy
• Occupational injury

Surgical Trauma

• Chest physiotherapy
• Lymphedema caused by cancer or other diseases
• Acceleration of wound healing
• Cardiac rehabilitation

Women’s Health Physiotherapy

• Postpartum exercise
• Blocked milk ducts

Sports and Exercise Therapy

Rehabilitation process for sports injuries may include:

• In-depth assessment of injury
• Assessment of improvements in core strength, flexibility, balance, range of movement, and muscle power
• Targeted conditioning program to allow patients to return to their favorite sports as soon as possible
• Targeted exercise programs to facilitate repair of rotator cuff injuries and healing from hip, knee, or spinal surgeries

Our Center is led by a multidisciplinary healthcare team committed to meeting the varied needs of patients through a wide range of services like customization of insoles.

Stroke Rehabilitation
Our Rehabilitation Center offers stroke rehabilitation services for stroke patients suffering from brain injury, and aims to help patients relearn self-management skills so that they may live independently again and improve their quality of life.

Stroke rehabilitation should begin as soon as the stroke patient’s medical condition stabilizes so as to minimize the risk of complications such as stiff joints, bedsores, and pneumonia. Depending on the part of their brain affected by stroke, patients may experience varying degrees of disability, such as:

• Paralysis or motor control problems
• Sensory disturbances
• Problems using or understanding language
• Thinking and memory problems
• Emotional disturbances

Based on the clinical diagnosis and supporting information provided by the doctor, the stroke rehabilitation team, which includes neurologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists, conducts an in-depth assessment of each patient before designing a personalized rehabilitation program that meets their specific needs.

Stroke rehabilitation is available to both in-patients and out-patients.

The goal of cardiac rehabilitation is to facilitate recovery and reduce the risk of deterioration or recurrence for cardiac patients.

By prescribing progressive exercise and lifestyle management programs, the Rehabilitation Center and Hong Kong Heart Center are dedicated to helping cardiac patients regain their health and return to their normal lives as soon as possible.

Cardiac rehabilitation comprises four parts:

Medical Evaluation:
Our healthcare team conducts an in-depth assessment of each patient’s physical condition and medical limitations and determines whether there are other potential risk factors such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

Psychosocial Support:
Heart disease is a long-term illness. Many patients not only encounter significant health issues, but may also feel disconnected from their social support system after long periods of not working, which may lead to depression or anxiety.

Appropriate Exercise:

Appropriate and adequate exercise is an important part of the recovery process. Our physiotherapists prescribe a series of exercises using various equipment such as the bicycle, treadmill, and other fitness machines to help patients strengthen their heart function and restore their heart rate to a normal level.

Lifestyle Education:
Through lifestyle education, patients learn to maintain healthy lifestyle habits, such as avoiding smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other risk factors of heart disease. To facilitate recovery, our nutrition counseling and dietetic team also teaches patients how to maintain a healthy weight, stay away from poor lifestyle habits, and choose appropriate ways to relieve pressure and fatigue.

Cardiac Rehabilitation is Designed for Those Who Have:

• Recently suffered a heart attack
• Recently undergone percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) or coronary bypass surgery
• Suffered from heart failure
• A pacemaker
• Cardiomyopathy
• Angina pectoris
• Congenital heart disease

Many patients report that cardiac rehabilitation was an extremely helpful component of their recovery process, thanks to regular exercise and maintenance of healthy lifestyle habits.

The Path to Full Recovery
Generally speaking, the cardiac rehabilitation program lasts for about six weeks. It starts while the patient is still in the hospital with simple exercises such as sitting up in bed and basic self-management activities. This slowly progresses to walking and limited stair climbing. Rehabilitative exercises continue after discharge under the supervision of healthcare staff.

Cardiac rehabilitation is a long-term recovery plan that enables patients to maintain good physical and mental health in the long run.

Occupational therapists assist patients with physical, sensory, or cognitive problems. Through specially designed activities, occupational therapy aims to improve patients’ self-management skills so that they may live as independently as possible. After conducting an in-depth assessment of each patient, our therapists prescribe a series of rehabilitative activities designed to improve specific skills and abilities.

Home Assessment Service

• Recommendations for home adaptions and equipment to facilitate independent living
• In-home dementia care service

Benefits of Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy may facilitate recovery from the following conditions:

Neurological diseases
Stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Surgical trauma
Spinal cord injuries, fractures, and other limb traumas such as amputation

Conditions affecting the elderly
In-home care is available for elderly patients suffering from cognitive impairment (such as memory loss), confusion, impaired judgment and problem-solving skills, dementia, and arthritis.

More information on in-home dementia care services

• Dysphagia (Swallowing Disorder)

The Hong Kong Adventist Hospital offers specialist physicians in respiratory medicine, speech therapists and dietitians, who are devoted in helping patients in a comprehensive, personalized and advanced assessment and rehabilitation program.

What is Dysphagia?

Dysphagia, also referred to as swallowing disorder, refers to difficulties in swallowing that may occur at any stage of the swallowing process. Swallowing disorder can happen along with various medical conditions such as:

• Stroke
• Parkinsonism
• Dementia
• Head and neck tumour
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Sleep apnoea

Often, dysphagia is a result of impaired neural control to the muscles that are responsible for swallowing. The disorder can arise from treatment-related side-effects such as muscle fibrosis or an altered anatomy of the swallowing track after surgery. It also affects the elderly due to deterioration of neural control and muscle loss as well as children who are premature, or have developmental problems, or congenital diseases.

Evaluation and Diagnosis

Initial assessment includes taking a detailed medical history and performing a physical examination of swallowing function.

Further examination may be required and could include x-rays, fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), pH probe, and tests for the diagnosis of muscular dystrophy and metabolic myopathies.

EAT-10: A Swallowing Screening Tool

The following questionnaire helps to screen and measure swallowing difficulties initially, and shall not be substituted for a medical examination, diagnosis or professional advice. If you are experiencing swallowing problems, it is important to consult your physician and speech therapist about assessment and treatment options.

Reference: Belafsky, P. C., Mouadeb, D. A., Rees, C. J., Pryor, J. C., Postma, G. N., Allen, J., & Leonard, R. J. (2008). Validity and Reliability of the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10). Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology, 117(12), 919-924. doi:10.1177/000348940811701210

Result

If your score is 3 or higher, dysphagia is likely to be present.  It is recommended that you share your EAT-10 results with your physician or speech therapist.

• Speech therapy services for children 

Many diseases can affect a patient's ability to understand others and express themselves. Speech therapy can help people who are not able to make speech sounds or cannot speak clearly.

Speech therapists also work with people who stutter, have fluency and rhythm problems, inappropriate pitch, or harsh voice and speech quality problems. Patients with the following conditions can often be helped with speech therapy.

• Developmental delay in speech and / or language (with / without hearing impairment)
• Difficulty in communicating basic needs / wants (inc. auditory comprehension and verbal expression)
• Swallowing difficulty (at risk for silent aspiration when drinking / eating)
• Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, or other neurological conditions
• Learning difficulty / disability
• Facial paralysis, decreased labial / lingual musculature
• Naming difficulty / acquired language disorders / dyspraxia post-stroke
• Voice problem (including organic / functional / psychogenic)
• Stuttering (Dysfluency of speech)

We also offer Domiciliary Visits (Home service) should there be a necessity.

Our podiatrists offer a range of services including assessment and shoe and/or orthotic recommendations to alleviate and treat conditions of the foot and lower limbs, such as:

• Ingrown toenails
• Corns and calluses
• Athlete's foot
• Dry and cracked heels
• Flat feet
• Diabetic foot problems

Our podiatrists offer a range of services including assessment and shoe and/or orthotic recommendations to alleviate and treat conditions of the foot and lower limbs, such as:

• Foot orthoses
• Lower limb orthoses
• Spinal orthoses
• Traditional scoliosis brace or Chêneau brace
• Upper limb orthoses
• In-home care

• Acupuncture
• Manipulation
• Exercise therapy
• Electrical modalities (Shockwave, Emsella Chair for pelvic strengthening and Super Induction System for pain relief, ultrasound and Electromagnetic Field Therapy)
• Outreach services: physiotherapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy
• AI-Powered 3D Posture Analysis Service
  360° comprehensive analysis of body posture, assessment of skeletal structure, muscle tension, and movement patterns such as issues with shoulder, spine, and foot positioning. The process is quick and convenient, providing a comprehensive analysis report in just about 2 minutes without the need to change clothes. Physical therapists will also provide professional analysis and guidance based on the report results, not only improving discomfort caused by incorrect posture, but also detecting potential health issues early on. This service is suitable for individuals 11 years old and above, with a height of 1.4 meters or more, whether students or those looking to improve their body posture.
  This service can also be combined with Pilates exercise programs and personal guidance from professional physical therapists to improve individual body positioning more precisely and effectively.

In addition to physiotherapy services, our Center also sells splints, pillows, back support belts, toilet seat risers, lumbar support cushions, etc. Please contact us for further details.

Our therapists are professional and experienced, and are trained to provide a wide variety of traditional and complementary therapies. Our lifestyle consultants are also on hand to offer recommendations, information, and advice, ensuring our patients are fully cared for in mind, body, and spirit.