Rehabilitation

Citizen Medical Center physical therapists assist patients in restoring and maintaining optimal physical function, range of physical motion and physical abilities through exercises/stretches, alternative therapies (massage, heat, cold and ultrasound) and education/practice with mobility devices.

Physical therapists are educated, licensed clinicians and movement experts who improve quality of life through hands-on care, patient education, and prescribed movement.

After making a diagnosis, physical therapists create personalized treatment plans that help their patients improve their movement, manage pain and other chronic conditions, and recover from and prevent injury and chronic disease.

You do not need a physician’s referral to make an appointment with a PT for an evaluation.

Physical therapist assistants (PTAs) are educated and licensed clinicians who provide care under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist.

Care provided by a PTA may include teaching people exercise for mobility, strength and coordination, training for activities such as walking with crutches, canes, or walkers, massage, and the use of physical agents and electrotherapy such as ultrasound and electrical stimulation. PTAs may also measure changes in the patient’s performance as a result of the physical therapy provided.

Open to the public, the maintenance program includes an initial physical fitness assessment and the development of a personalized program to fit your needs. Patients gain access to weight machines and aerobic equipment for workout sessions from Monday through Friday for a monthly fee of $30 or $20 for 65 & older.

Professional massage therapy experts offer appointments for 15 minutes for $15 and 30 minutes for $25. Call (785) 460-4868 to book your appointment.

The Citizens Medical Center physical therapy department partners with the Colby High School Athletic Department with the goal of decreasing the number and/or severity of injuries for young athletes. Through in-house and on-site education and an injury prevention program, our team works to improve the overall health and safety of community athletes.

Citizen Medical Center occupational therapists help patients return to or engage in daily activities after injury, illness or disability through therapy that involves standard living practices.

Occupational therapy practitioners ask, “What matters to you?” not, “What’s the matter with you?” In its simplest terms, occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. Occupational therapy services typically include:

• an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals,
• customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and
• an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan.

Occupational therapy services may include comprehensive evaluations of the client’s home and other environments (e.g., workplace, school), recommendations for adaptive equipment and training in its use, and guidance and education for family members and caregivers. Occupational therapy practitioners have a holistic perspective, in which the focus is on adapting the environment to fit the person, and the person is an integral part of the therapy team.

Our speech therapist administers therapy to adults and children in northwest Kansas to address speech, language, cognitive-communication and swallowing disorders.

SLPs work with people of all ages, from babies to adults. SLPs treat many types of communication and swallowing problems. These include problems with:

Speech sounds—how we say sounds and put sounds together into words. Other words for these problems are articulation or phonological disorders, apraxia of speech, or dysarthria.

Language—how well we understand what we hear or read and how we use words to tell others what we are thinking. In adults this problem may be called aphasia.

Literacy—how well we read and write. People with speech and language disorders may also have trouble reading, spelling, and writing.

Social communication—how well we follow rules, like taking turns, how to talk to different people, or how close to stand to someone when talking. This is also called pragmatics.

Voice—how our voices sound. We may sound hoarse, lose our voices easily, talk too loudly or through our noses, or be unable to make sounds.

Fluency—also called stuttering, is how well speech flows. Someone who stutters may repeat sounds, like t-t-t-table, use “um” or “uh,” or pause a lot when talking. Many young children will go through a time when they stutter, but most outgrow it.

Cognitive-communication—how well our minds work. Problems may involve memory, attention, problem solving, organization, and other thinking skills.

Feeding and swallowing—how well we suck, chew, and swallow food and liquid. A swallowing disorder may lead to poor nutrition, weight loss, and other health problems. This is also called dysphagia.