What do the "weekend warrior," with a sports injury, a middle-aged woman who has been treated for breast cancer, and an elderly man recovering from hip replacement surgery have in common? All three can benefit from the personalized attention provided by Huntington's Aboff Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Center.

Physical therapy is a broad term used to describe a regimen of carefully prescribed, supervised exercises, hands-on techniques such as neuromuscular reeducation, joint mobilization, massage, as well as pain relieving modalities including electric stimulation, ultrasound, heat and cold treatments. All are designed to help patients achieve and restore functional capacity, minimize functional limitations and disabilities, maintain health, and create appropriate adaptations to enhance independent functioning.

Patients may undergo physical therapy following orthopaedic surgery, a sports injury, or a neurological problem such as a stroke. Physical therapy can help alleviate pain, improve range of motion, restore strength, and provide patients with the knowledge of appropriate body mechanics to help them prevent reinjury.

All Physical Therapy Centers are Not Equal
As a hospital-based service, the Aboff Physicial Therapy and Sports Medicine Center offers certain advantages that patients may not find at privately owned, for-profit facilities. "As a not-for-profit hospital, we have different priorities. We focus more on quality and less on the bottom line," explained Donna Grant, PT, Director of the Aboff Center for the past six years.

In practical terms, that means that patients are scheduled every half hour, as opposed to every 15 minutes. Aides are not permitted to administer treatment. Only licensed physical therapists and physical therapist assistants treat patients.

"We spend a lot of one-on-one time with each patient," agreed Richard J. Bennis, PT, who has been with the hospital for two years.

Continuity of Care
Physical therapists at Huntington rotate between the Aboff Center, where outpatients are treated, and the inpatient units. That provides patients with the opportunity to begin rehabilitation while still in the hospital with the same therapists who may be continuing to oversee their care on an outpatient basis.

Experience Counts
"I have never changed jobs because this hospital cares about the people in this community," said Peggy McNerney, a physical therapist assistant who has been with Huntington for more than 30 years. Longevity of the hospital's physical therapy staff trans lates into a high level of expertise. Roseanne Farley, PTA,a physical therapist assistant with 22 years' experience, concurred that the hospital's staff is comprised of "dedicated and caring professionals with years of experience."

Huntington Hospital is an environment where learning and knowledge are valued. The hospital emphasizes continuing education, and staff members are encouraged to maintain their skills and remain on the fore-front of current knowledge.

"This calendar year I have received continuing education credits in a number of different areas, including 'Differential Diagnosis and Rehabilitation of the Knee,' 'The Geriatric Neurological Patient,' 'A Clinical Approach to Balance and Falls,' 'Effective Strength Training,' and 'Arthritic Conditions of the Hand,' among others," said Karen Travis, PT, one of the newer members of the department.

The Latest Equipment
With a modern, 3,000 square-foot gymnasium equipped with the full range of computerized exercise machines, the Aboff Center treats patients of every age and diagnosis. From two-month-old infants diagnosed with torticollis, to active young adults recovering from a sports-related injury, to women undergoing specialized therapy to relieve the symptoms of lymphedema after breast cancer treatment, to geriatric patients who require rehabilitation following a stroke, Huntington's Aboff Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center offers an individualized approach to care that is second to none.

"We have an experienced staff that is friendly and knowledgeable, a convenient location, and one-on-one care," concluded Joe Colombo, PTA.

For additional information on the Aboff Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Center, please call (631) 351-2274.