Pediatric Rehabilitation Services

The pediatric rehabilitation services consist of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Language Pathology (Speech Therapy).

These programs are for the evaluation and treatment of children with:

Asthma
Cystic fibrosis
Immunodeficiencies

Rheumatologic conditions
Swallowing disorders
Voice disorders

Vocal cord dysfunction
Chronic cough
Other pulmonary diseases

Our goal is to enable any child to lead a full and satisfying life within his/her family, school and community. This goal is achieved through the recognition, assessment, treatment and management of symptoms and limitations arising from chronic illness.

Learn more about our pediatric rehabilitation evaluations and treatments.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy seeks to enhance physical performance. Physical therapists (PTs) will examine, treat, and teach you to prevent, correct and limit physical disability, movement dysfunction, bodily malfunction and pain from injury, illness and/or disease. PTs use physical measures, activities and devices to help you. These can include:

Orthopedics/ Manual Therapy
Intramuscular Manual Therapy (trigger point dry needling)
Heat and Massage Therapy

Cardiopulmonary and Resistance Training
Recreational Therapy to focus on a return to your previous activity level

Five Program Objectives

Increase cardiopulmonary endurance.
Improve muscle strength and endurance.
Improve ability to participate in daily activities in home, school and community.
Increase and encourage continued participation in physical education, leisure and fitness activities.
Improve awareness of abdominal breathing, voice control and/or swallowing.

When to Get a Referral

You may want to consider getting a referral to the National Jewish Health Pediatric Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program if your child has any of the following symptoms or issues:

History of exercise induced asthma (bronchospasm)
Inability to exercise due to deconditioning
Muscle weakness/fatigue
Poor pacing and self-monitoring skills
History of oral steroid use or frequent burst of steroids
Osteoporosis or risk factors for osteoporosis
Gait abnormalities
Orthopedic dysfunction's
Postural Abnormalities
Pain that limits motion and/or function

Problems with coordination
Developmental delays
Cognitive school issues
Vocational issues
Leisure issues
Decreasing ability to complete activities of daily living
Choking / coughing while eating
Food refusal
Difficulty being understood by teachers or peers

Doctors

Paul R. Heitzenrater, CTRS
Shelby R. Jenkins, OTR
Emily A. Nauman, MA, CCC-SLP
Hoang Nguyen, PT, DPT
Kimberly Sack, MS, PT
Jillian Strober-Horowitz, MS, OTR/L
Allison Zangle, PT, DPT

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Clinical Trials

ADRN-12/LEADS (Longitudinal Endotyping of Atopic Dermatitis Through Transcriptomic Skin Analysis)

Eczema (atopic dermatitis) is typically classified as mild, moderate or severe. In this trial, researchers are studying gene expression for the varying severity levels of eczema in order to guide new and improved treatments strategies and more personalized treatments.

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Reasons to Choose National Jewish Health

The leading respiratory hospital in the nation and the only one devoted fully to the treatment of respiratory and related illnesses
Ranked #1 or #2 in Pulmonology by U.S. News & World Report for 26 consecutive years
Ranked in the top 5% of hospitals in the nation by HCAHPS
Physicians consistently recognized among the best in the nation by multiple services, including Best Doctors in America and Castle Connolly
Among the top 6% of organizations funded for research by the NIH, providing patients access to hundreds of active clinical trials
124-year history of focus on care, research and education serving patients from around the world with lung, heart, immune and related disorders

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Little Body, Big Battle

“I’m thankful that we were able to come and get tested because we would have never known. We would have probably never gotten the treatment that Ivan needed.”

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