Shepherd Center - A Catastrophic Care Hospital

Beyond Therapy® is a rigorous, activity-based therapy program designed by Shepherd Center to help people with a variety of neurological disorders, including spinal cord injury and brain injury, improve their lifelong health, minimize secondary complications and get the most out of any new neural links to their muscles.

Beyond Therapy® is available at Shepherd Center in Atlanta and at its satellite location in Franklin, Tennessee. Read the news release here.

True to its name, Beyond Therapy® goes beyond the borders of traditional therapy programs, where the focus is on adapting to a new set of capabilities. Traditional therapy programs are designed to help patients become as independent as possible using compensatory strategies and training on how to care for themselves after discharge from the hospital.

In contrast, Beyond Therapy® focuses on promoting lifelong wellness and maximizing muscle and neural return through a program of intensive strengthening and motor-patterned activity concentrating on weaker muscles and nerve connections that may have been ignored in the initial phases of recovery. Optimizing recovery, toning seldom-used muscles and decreasing secondary complications that typically occur among people with neurological disorders are central objectives of the program.

Download the Beyond Therapy® fact sheet here.

Beyond Therapy® staff consists of therapists who specialize in exercise physiology, therapeutic recreation and physical therapy. Staff members integrate the neural development and strength goals of each client into an individualized program, incorporating the use of innovative treatments that may result in some level of recovery. Beyond Therapy® engages the concepts of athletic training and neuroplasticity, which is the belief that the spinal cord can adjust itself functionally by reorganizing neural maps and allowing some recovery of lost abilities.

Goals of Beyond Therapy®

• Explore the potential of facilitating neural tracts within the spinal cord that have been spared injury and promote neuromuscular recovery
• Create an individualized, lifelong activity program and help individuals maintain physical readiness for neural recovery
• Improve quality of life by decreasing complications, improving sensory and motor function and increasing self-efficacy
• Enhance lifelong health and wellness

Beyond Therapy® has three main components

Clients select a therapy track based on their current state of health, personal short-term and long-term goals and budget. The three components of Beyond Therapy® are:

• The Wellness Program
• The Physical Enhancement Program
• The Experimental Protocols Program

The Wellness Program

This reconditioning program offers a holistic, individualized approach to lifestyle changes. After obtaining medical clearance from your personal physician, an exercise specialist will design an individualized exercise program based on your goals and abilities. If you join the Wellness Program, the services are coordinated through Shepherd Center. Although the fees for services are applied separately, they are significantly discounted for Wellness Program members. Clients enrolled receive membership to Promotion Fitness Center, Shepherd Center’s accessible gym and pool, and access to personal trainers. The following list is an example of services that could be included in your wellness plan.

• Stress relief programs such as Yoga and Tai Chi
• Cardiovascular conditioning
• Muscle strengthening
• Exercise consultant/trainer

The Physical Enhancement Program

The Physical Enhancement Program is a rigorous “boot camp” program that combines the expertise of an individualized training team to assist clients in attaining the highest level of function. The program offers the greatest potential for improvement by using state-of-the-art technology to promote neuroplasticity, which is the belief that the spinal cord can adjust itself functionally by reorganizing neural maps and allowing some recovery of lost abilities. After receiving medical clearance, each client will be evaluated by a physical therapist to determine the plan of care and design the physical enhancement program. The program is intense, at least nine hours per week, and requires a significant time and financial commitment on the part of the client.

However, if functional goals are identified during evaluations and achievable, then insurance reimbursement may be sought. The program offers training and support for clients and caregivers in implementing a long-term, intense, activity-based program.

Four specific components of the program include:

• Upper and lower extremity strengthening
• Patterned neural activity to facilitate neural plasticity
• Core strengthening
• Aquatic therapy

Beyond Therapy® incorporates the use of state-of-the-art rehabilitation equipment and may include the following interventions:

• Lokomat: Robotic-assisted treadmill training
• Body-Weight-Supported Manual Treadmill Training
• Parastep: NMES-based synthesized gait restoration
• Giger Training: Active/Passive coordinated movement of all four extremities and trunk
• FES Cycling: Lower-extremity cycling using electrical stimulation
• Bioness H200: Neuroprosthetic training for the upper extremities and hands using electrical stimulation
• Bioness L300: Functional electrical stimulation applied to the common peroneal nerve through an external orthosis to assist in improving a stepping response and provide greater lower-extremity clearance during ambulation activities
• Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation to key muscle groups demonstrating voluntary movement during activity
• Sensory-level stimulation to muscle groups not yet demonstrating voluntary movement
• Core and Balance training
• Extremity strengthening
• Aquatic Therapy
• Developmental Sequencing Activities
• Gait and Pre-Gait activities
• Functional training for higher-level mobility skills

The Experimental Protocols Program

Experimental Protocols is the third component of Beyond Therapy®. It is designed to assist clients with navigating through the experimental procedures offered at Shepherd Center or elsewhere. This component is appropriate for people who are anxious to pursue innovative procedures, but require information about these procedures and the necessary training to prepare.

More information

For Beyond Therapy® at Shepherd Center in Atlanta, call 404-352-2020 or email Becky Washburn. For Beyond Therapy® in Franklin, TN, call 615-656-4656 or email Candy Tefertiller.