If you need therapy for an injury or illness, University of Missouri Health Care’s therapy team offers a broad range of advanced, specialized therapies. See below for a complete list.

Specialty therapy

 

Burn and scar management

If you experience a serious burn, our occupational therapists will fit custom compression garments and fabricate custom splints to aid in your healing. We also will fabricate custom burn masks to help prevent the buildup of scar tissue through the application of direct pressure.

Hand therapy and splinting

Certified hand therapists are physical therapists or occupational therapists who have logged more than 4,000 hours of direct practice in hand therapy and at least five years of clinical experience.

Hand therapists work with the upper limb, which includes:

  • Elbow
  • Fingers
  • Hand
  • Shoulder
  • Wrist

Several techniques, including splinting, are used to restore your abilities and prevent further dysfunction.

Hand splints are used to position your child’s hand in an optimal position. Working with your child’s physician, our occupational therapists will determine which type of splint will be best for your child and then fabricate a custom splint to meet your child’s specific needs.

Splints can be designed to last until the child outgrows it or designed for a gradual process. You will receive a customized daily wearing schedule for the splint.

Intensive therapy

When extremely ill patients with serious or life-threatening illnesses or injuries need very close observation and monitoring. They receive intensive therapy from highly trained doctors and nurses who specialize in caring for critically ill patients.  

Modified barium swallow studies

A modified barium swallow study (MBS) is performed by a radiologist and speech language pathologist, using an X-ray and barium to examine your swallowing skills. During the test, your mouth, throat and esophagus are observed to help determine the types of foods and liquids that are safest and easiest for you to swallow.

Pelvic therapy

The pelvic floor is composed of muscles like the rest of your body. These muscles help support the bladder, uterus (in women) and rectum, but also are involved in bowel and bladder continence. Any malfunction of these muscles could lead to pain, incontinence or organ prolapse.

Our physical therapists are specially trained to treat these impairments as well as provide treatment for issues during prenatal and postpartum care.

Running and throwing evaluation

Have you experienced a running or throwing injury? Are you recovering from a sports-related injury or surgery?

Mizzou Therapy Services offers dedicated programs in which physical therapists evaluate your running and overhead throwing motions to help you treat or recover from injury, or make mechanical improvements to these actions. Our programs uses initial evaluations that take approximately 60 minutes, and are ideal for recreational or competitive athletes. Our approach to treatment starts with a comprehensive evaluation that reviews your mobility, flexibility, strength, stability and balance, and uses video analysis of you running or throwing.

Using Dartfish motion analysis, our physical therapists will design a personalized treatment plan to help you return to running or throwing safely, addressing any deficiencies related to your condition. Learn more.

Vestibular rehabilitation

Our physical therapists specialize in the treatment of vestibular disorders, including benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and unilateral or bilateral vestibular hypofunction, which can be associated with Ménière’s disease, labyrinthitis and vestibular neuritis.

Your therapist will perform a comprehensive evaluation to determine the source of discomfort. Using this evaluation, he or she will demonstrate and provide exercises as well as other specialized vestibular techniques.

Workers’ compensation

When you’re injured on the job, our therapists are here to help you recover so you can regain your quality of life and return to work as quickly as possible. Learn more about workers’ compensation treatment.

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