Due to its successful and influential practice, the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Department at the American Outpatient Medical Center is regarded by many in the medical community as an important reference point. Doctors, physiotherapists and massage therapists of our department provide our patients with outstanding contemporary medical approaches.
 
Our team at the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Department aims to protect and maximize the quality of life as well as optimize the way the body heals. We undertake diagnosis and treatment both for outpatients and inpatients. Distinguished features of our approach include prevention of disability, improvement of anatomical function and increasing the engagement of patients in daily life activities. 
 
Our department deals with diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of musculoskeletal injuries, pains, and loss of function that originate from spine and occupational injuries as well as overuse syndromes with our professional team who have comprehensive experience in relevant fields in line with the up-to-date approaches. Besides, rehabilitation protocols are available to restore function in the aftermath of musculoskeletal system injury and spinal surgery.
 
We continuously prioritize a multidisciplinary process in all treatment plans, as is the case with all the other departments at the hospital. With this effective approach, we collaborate with other clinical departments to restore anatomical functions and the ability to engage in daily life activities and address certain clinical problems, such as cancer rehabilitation, lymphedema, geriatric rehabilitation, rheumatic diseases, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and obesity. Briefly, our team of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation treats spasticity and chronic pain, as they are covered by our hospital's multidisciplinary treatment groups. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Our department has branch-specific workgroups for certain conditions. Protocols are developed for such conditions that are acknowledged and exemplified by local and international organizations. Such sub-services and special workgroups are as follows:
 
  • Certain conditions that are related to spinal health, such as low back pain and neck pain are evaluated in detail in line with our knowledge, skill, and experience. This evaluation covers protective approaches, pain management, joint follow-up of the patient with the Algology Department, unique exercise protocols that are developed according to the surgical technique after spinal surgeries and re-engagement into daily life activities.
  • The treatment protocols that are jointly developed with the Hand Surgery Department are planned and performed according to the surgical technique in a customized manner; for example, if required hand splints are applied by hand therapists in our department after the completion of each surgery.
  • Treatment programs are planned to manage the disease or the complications of treatment in our rehabilitation of cancer patients. This personalized program that takes specific characteristics of the cancer disease into consideration has rich content, such as treatment of lymphedema and postural disorders, soft tissue contractures secondary to radiotherapy, fatigue syndrome that develops after chemotherapy, polyneuropathy and all other complications resulting from immobility.
  • Complex decongestive treatment – the up-to-date treatment modality for lymphedema that is secondary to conditions that involve lymphatic circulation – such as (manual lymphatic drainage, bandaging and exercise therapy, is performed by our specialist therapists. 
  • Treatment protocols that increase performance are combined with athletes' rehabilitation programs and other treatment approaches that are specific for sports injuries; the type of athlete and the uniqueness of each patient are always factors considered when implementing said treatment.
  • Exercise programs are planned and supervised for patients during the aftermath of obesity surgery.
  • The prevalence of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is 2.3% present in the age range from 10 to 15 years according to the Turkish Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Prevalence Study. We have an expert team at our department that specializes in scoliosis diagnoses, treatment, and follow-ups. 
  • Geriatric rehabilitation has become increasingly important especially due to extended life expectancy. Moreover, limited activities of daily life secondary to age-related conditions, such as loss of postural balance and coordination, gait disorders and audiovisual losses are evaluated with a customized approach; subsequently, treatment plans in line with each patient’s requirements are formulated. 
  • Ergonomics is extremely important to prevent occupational diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The Ergonomics Work Group of our department not only educates outpatients, but it also supports the arrangement of work environments for employees and employers along with corporate visits.
  • Medical massage therapy has emerged as adjuvant therapy for acute and chronic pain resulting from spine and soft tissue injury. This approach ensures both physical and emotional wellness and it is planned according to each diagnosis and performed by expert therapists, who are trained and educated in special medical massage therapy.
  • We collaborate with the Rheumatology Department when it comes to the rehabilitation of rheumatoid diseases. Our rehabilitation programs aim to maximize the quality of life and independence of our patients who are reliant on medical treatment.
  • The goal of our cardiac rehabilitation programs is to enable our patients to engage in their lives without estrangement from social life despite the limitation of their daily activities.
The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department is directly linked to the following conditions:
  • Joint aches
    • Shoulder pain
    • Elbow pain
    • Wrist-hand pain
    • Hip pain
    • Knee pain
    • Ankle-foot pain
  • Neck pain
  • Low back pain
  • Pain and numbness in arms and legs
  • Back pain
  • Engagement in activities of daily life after orthopedic surgeries
  • Osteoarthritis (calcification)
  • Numbness
 
 Herniated discs
  • Herniated cervical disc
  • Herniated thoracic disc
  • Herniated lumbar disc
  • Engagement in activities of daily life after spinal surgeries
  • Myalgia
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Stroke
  • Paraplegia
  • Gait disorders
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Loss of function secondary to cancer
  • Loss of function due to side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy
  • Lymphedema
Our department is specializing in the following modalities:
 
  • Orthopedics Rehabilitation
    • Sports injuries
    • Rehabilitation after fracture
    • Ligament and tendon ruptures
    • Rehabilitation after joint replacement surgery
    • Rehabilitation after shoulder surgery
    • Rehabilitation after elbow surgery
    • Rehabilitation after hand surgery
    • Rehabilitation after knee surgery (anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery, meniscus, cartilage surgery)
    • Rehabilitation after hip surgery
  • Rehabilitation for Spine
    • Disc disease
    • Spondylolisthesis
    • Scolioses
    • Posture disorders
    • Spine tumors
  • Myalgia Syndromes
    • Fibromyalgia syndrome
    • Myofascial pain syndrome
 
  • Treatment and Rehabilitation of Osteoarthritis
    • Osteoporoses
    • Rehabilitation of temporomandibular joint
    • Rehabilitation of rheumatoid diseases
 
  • Neurological Rehabilitation
    • Rehabilitation after stroke
    • Rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury
    • Rehabilitation of spinal cord
    • Rehabilitation of polyneuropathy
    • Spasticity – Botulinum toxin
    • Entrapment neuropathies (Carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome)
    • Movement disorders (Parkinson's)
    • Rehabilitation of Multiple Sclerosis
    • Guillain-Barré Syndrome
    • Amyotrophic Lateral Scleroses (ALS)
    • Brain and spinal cord tumors
 
  • Rehabilitation after cancer
 
  • Lymphedema
  • Cardiac Rehabilitation
  • Geriatric Rehabilitation
    • Exercise therapy
    • Education to prevent falls
The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department boasts a rich source of documentation to inform patients about the diseases that fall into the specialty areas focussed on by our clinic. Our documentations and practices are listed below:
  • Shoulder, elbow, knee, and ankle rehabilitation protocols guideline book 
  • Hand rehabilitation guideline book 
  • Principles to protect lumbar health
  • Principles to protect cervical health
  • Joint evaluation forms
  • Patient education brochures
  • Online patient follow-up and evaluation infrastructure
  • Weekly scientific meetings held at the department
  • Participation in weekly multidisciplinary meetings with orthopedics, breast cancer, and oncology departments