Individualized treatment plans for functional success
The occupational therapists at Peconic Bay Medical Center focus on alleviating or accommodating physical, emotional, or cognitive barriers to help patients live their most satisfying, active and independent lives.
If an illness, accident, condition, or injury is inhibiting you from completing important daily tasks like getting dressed, cooking a meal, or caring for your family, occupational therapy can help you return to function.
Once a prescription is received from your doctor, a comprehensive evaluation will be performed to determine the best plan of care. Therapy sessions are individualized to identify or strengthen ways to meet functional life goals important to each patient.
Conditions Treated Include:
- Hand and upper extremity disorders
- Lymphedema
- Neurologic disorders
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Post-cancer recovery
- Stroke recovery
Information and Appointments:
(631) 727-9654
Cancer Services
Our team of occupational therapists is here to support you and your family both during and following cancer treatment. Cancer diagnoses and treatments may have a physical, cognitive, or emotional impact, which can affect a patient’s quality of life and ability to participate in functional and meaningful tasks.
Our occupational therapists are well equipped to manage the medical and physical healing of post-surgical sites, while maintaining a focus on emotional support and lifestyle management.
Your therapist will discuss goal areas and generate a customized treatment program to target your specific needs.
Some treatments may include:
- Pain management
- Improved or regained strength and mobility
- Improved independence in self-care, bathing, dressing, or return to work activities
- Adaptive device recommendation
- Custom splint fabrication and wheelchair fitting
- Post-surgical healing
- Energy conservation
- Environmental modification
- Improved endurance
- Support for anxiety or depression
- Cognitive strategies and supports
All will work to target impairment following surgical intervention, chemotherapy, and radiation, while providing assist to the patient and family members for ongoing support.
Hand Therapy
Hand and upper extremity rehabilitation is performed following impairment, surgery, or trauma to the area. Your therapist will be specialized in treatment of the hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder, to regain function to support a patient’s healing and prior level of function.
Occupational therapists specializing in this area work with a multitude of diagnoses. Some of the most common may include fractures, lacerations, peripheral nerve disorders, chronic pain, neurological conditions, surgeries following trauma, total shoulder replacement, tendon repairs, sports injuries, arthritis, and carpal tunnel or ulnar nerve impingement.
Hand therapy intervention may include the following to support an improvement in function, to allow you to participate in your activities of daily life:
- Regaining strength and movement through individualized exercises
- Pain management and reduction
- Improving sensation and desensitization
- Scar treatment and wound healing
- Custom splint fabrication to support proper healing
- Adaptive device recommendations
- Environmental modifications
- Edema control
- Patient education
- Maintenance of surgical precautions
- Myofascial release and massage techniques
- Energy conservation
- Return to work readiness
- Therapeutic modalities such as ultrasound, heat, and e-stim
Lymphedema
The lymphatic system allows for fluid to be collected and filtered to support the vascular and immune system. Damage to this system results in lymphedema, or a collection of fluid causing swelling typically seen in the arms, hands, legs, or feet.
Lymphedema can occur following cancer treatments and surgeries, orthopedic surgeries, trauma, or other infections damaging the lymph nodes. Certain cases of lymphedema may also be present from birth.
Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT)
While there is currently no cure for lymphedema, complete decongestive therapy (CDT) is the primary form of condition management. CDT allows for the movement of lymph, or fluid, via massage and a series of bandaging to decrease swelling.
CDT requires commitment from both patient and therapist, as sessions are typically an hour long with two to four visits per week. A full treatment plan will be discussed following an in-depth assessment process.
Your therapist will lead an individualized and comprehensive treatment plan including:
- A specific form of massage, called Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD), in which the skin and tissue is lightly stretched to stimulate lymph drainage.
- Specialized bandaging of the limbs to encourage fluid out of the extremity, and maintain reduce limb size achieved with MLD
- An individualized exercise program focused on utilizing muscles to pump additional fluid out of the limb
- A long-term maintenance plan formulated by the therapist and patient, including use of compression garments to maintain progress and comfort
- Preventative skin care to avoid additional comorbidities common with lymphedema
- Continued patient education on self-management for long term success
Neurological Rehabilitation
Neurologic conditions are those which impact the brain and central nervous system. Common neurologic disorders and conditions include stroke, spinal cord injuries, or progressive diseases. These types of conditions and illness can have a global impact on a person’s function in physical, cognitive, emotional, and social realms.
Patients who have experienced a stroke or other neurologic condition, may demonstrate muscle weakness, paralysis of one or more limbs, vision impairments, numbness or tingling to extremities, or limited core strength and balance. Our occupational therapists are equipped to address these challenges to improve a patient’s independent function through remediation and adaptation.
Occupational therapists may target improvements in sensation, strength, and motion of the affected areas of the body. Individualized treatment programs will work to regain function through therapeutic exercise, activities, and use of modalities to reduce any residual discomfort.
Additional direct intervention will focus on regaining independence in self-care tasks such as dressing and bathing, performing work related tasks, utilizing appropriate adaptive equipment, modifying a person’s environment for success, and functional lifestyle changes to prevent future impairment.
Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurologic condition which primarily effects movement. Common symptoms reported include tremors, slowed movements, writing changes, speech changes, or impaired balance.
These symptoms can have a direct impact in a person’s ability to function and participate in activities which are meaningful. Such challenges can be present in daily tasks such as getting dressed, performing self-care, getting in and out of bed, caring for loved ones, performing work tasks, or cooking a meal.
Finding an occupational therapist who specializes in care for those with Parkinson’s disease can help in finding ways to participate in these meaningful activities without pain or difficulty.
LSVT BIG
A specific therapy program targeted to address the needs of a person with Parkinson’s disease, LSVT BIG requires additional certifications of an occupational or physical therapist. LSVT BIG treatment is an intensive, individualized therapeutic course which includes four sessions per week for four weeks. These sessions work specifically on exercises which optimize movements impacted through the progression of Parkinson’s, while tailoring treatment to individualized goals of the patient.
Sessions are designed to deliver improvement in quality and safety of movement, while working on what’s important to each patient. During a comprehensive evaluation, you and your specialized therapist will discuss areas of need, strengths, and goals to improve independence throughout various areas of your life.