Pediatric Rehabilitation Center Reopens in Morristown

Atlantic Health System’s pediatric rehabilitation and physical therapy program has reopened in a brand-new space at 55 Madison Avenue in Morristown.

Larger than the previous center and filled with state-of-the-art
therapy equipment, the open-gym facility is able to treat a wide variety of
physical and developmental concerns ranging from smaller injuries like sprained
ankles to ongoing mobility therapy for conditions including cerebral palsy,
genetic disorders, and muscular dystrophy.

The center has speech and language pathologists onsite to treat
children who have difficulty speaking and eating. The specialists emphasize
language articulation, oral motor development and feeding and swallowing
skills.

“Atlantic Health System is pleased to be able to offer our
community a state-of-the-art rehabilitation space that enables our accomplished
multidisciplinary (multi-specialist) team to better customize programs and work
together to ensure the mobility and long-term independence for our young
patients,” said Walter D. Rosenfeld, MD, Chair of Pediatrics, Goryeb Children’s
Hospital and Atlantic Health System.

A trained team of physical and occupational therapists works in
tandem with specialists and pediatricians for optimal patient outcomes. Dr.
Michelle Sirak, a Goryeb Children’s Hospital pediatric physiatrist focused on
physical medicine and rehabilitation, often serves as the team leader, creating
individualized treatment plans, including home exercise programs.

Therapists maintain clinical excellence in their fields of
study, which includes the achievement of additional certifications and
specialty training including SIPT certification (a sensory integration-based
certification which helps identify sensory dysfunction and motor planning
deficits), PAMS certification (for use of physical modalities including use of
neuromuscular-electrical stimulation to improve form and function and
participation in activities of daily living), NOMAS (for evaluation and
treatment of feeding in pre-term infants), SOS training (assessment and treatment
of sensory vs. behavioral feeding issues) and PROMPT training (a tactile,
kinesthetic and sensory-based approach to re-organize oral movement patterns).

In addition to its new equipment, the building is home to a
number of specialists, which enables patients to schedule physical therapy and
see their doctor in one convenient location.

“Being in close physical proximity to other physicians and
therapists enables more frequent communication among treatment providers that
will ultimately benefit our patients,” said Ellen Dean-Davis, MD, a pediatric
orthopedist with Atlantic Medical Group. “For families, the singular location
helps reduce the number of times they need to travel to the building because
they can schedule their rehabilitation and a physician visit or follow-up on
the same day.”

The new center will also offer the Schroth Method for the
treatment of scoliosis. The Schroth method is a unique, nonsurgical method
involving active therapeutic exercises intended to improve scoliotic posture,
halt curve progression, reduce pain and improve quality of life for the
patient. Therapists must be specially trained and pass a certification
exam to practice this technique, which generally has a high level of success.

“We know many children struggle with scoliosis, and while
surgery may be appropriate for some of them, the Schroth Method is a
non-surgical option that may help children avoid surgery,” said Laura Taylor,
the physical therapist trained on the method.

The new rehabilitation facility also offers specialized adaptive
equipment and a variety of group training sessions, including feeding,
handwriting and sensorimotor groups, which may encourage even greater progress.

Other conditions the team treats include: apraxia; autism;
behavioral, motor, and sensory feeding difficulties; cerebral palsy,
chromosomal abnormalities; delayed motor development, dysphagia and feeding
disorders; genetic disorders; hearing impairments; juvenile arthritis; muscular
dystrophy; orthopedic diagnoses; prematurity; scoliosis; seizure disorders;
speech-language disorders; spina bifida; torticollis; and traumatic injury.