Rehabilitation physicians or physiatrists are experts in nerve, muscle, bone and brain who treat injury or illness non-surgically to decrease pain and restore function. Physiatrists determine the source of an ailment and design a treatment plan for the patients that can be carried out but the patient and/or with the help of the rehabilitation physician’s medical team. This medical team may include other physicians and health professionals, such as neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, and physical therapists.
Occupational therapists help people of all ages and abilities to participate in the activities of everyday life. OTs enables people to function at the highest possible level, concentrate on what matters most to them, maintain or rebuild their independence, and participate in everyday activities that bring meaning to their lives. Occupational therapists achieve this outcome by enhancing the individual's ability to participate, by modifying the environment or by adapting the activity to better support participation. OTs consider a person’s psychological, physical, emotional, and social makeup as they fulfill their professional mandate.
Rehabilitation physicians and occupational therapists research and treat people with one or more of the following conditions:
- Amputations/Prosthetics
- Arthritis
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Back Pain
- Brain Injuries
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Geriatric Rehabilitation
- Neck Pain
- Nerve Pain
- Radiculopathy
- Ulnar Neuropathy
- Osteoporosis
- Pediatric Rehabilitation
- Post-Polio Syndrome
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Sports-Related Injuries
- Stroke
- Women’s Conditions
- Female Athlete Triad
- Pelvic Pain
- Pregnancy and Back Pain
- Work-Related Injuries
Within the occupational therapy field there are individuals that specialize in driving rehabilitation and driving fitness assessments. Some practice this without formal certification while others have a formal credential labeling them as a Driving Rehabilitation Specialist. The trained therapists offer their services to doctors, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and assisted/independent living facilities. The specialist provides counseling, direction and information on how to go about having driving skills assessed. For example,
- A school therapist answering students’ questions who has cerebral palsy, spinal bifida or muscular dystrophy regarding his or her driving potential.
- A workers comp client who has carpal tunnel in both wrists or who has RSD and needs direction regarding driving.
- A student who has a learning disability, autism, Aspergers syndrome, ADD or ADHD and who has been turned away from typical driver education programs.
- Individuals with a psychiatric diagnosis who are striving to re-integrate into the community.
- A nursing home, assisted living or independent residential setting, who has older clients who have Alzheimer’s, dementia or age-related issues that may impair their driving skills.
- A rehabilitation center with persons who have had a spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury and need to know if he or she can drive again.
In each of these settings, the therapist is positioned to answer questions, supply information and resources, and provide evaluation and intervention for performance skills related to driving. They help the individual or family a medical-oriented, driving assessment professional.
There is a growing interest in researching the science of rehabilitation. Many realize the role driving a car plays in living life to its fullest. Driving equate to freedom for most people.
Rehabilitation physicians and occupational therapists at universities, hospitals, and private labs can leverage a driving simulator to research specific treatment techniques and programs. The DriveSafety driving simulators are realistic. They are based on actual cars. The same motor controls, vision and cognitive skills used to drive on the road are used in the high-fidelity driving simulators.
Many individuals that experience a medically limiting condition are able to recover completely and resume life’s normal activities. Others will not be able to make a 100 percent recovery. These people will be classified with some form of disability. Helping a disabled person learn how to drive a car is one of the profession’s great accomplishments.
New and existing adaptive technologies continue to broaden opportunities for people with disabilities to drive both comfortably and safely. Specials seats, hand controls and extra large rear view mirrors may be necessary for a driver to safely operate a vehicle. This equipment and technology can be tested and validated in the controlled environment a driving simulator provides.
The rehabilitation and occupational therapy researchers can create a driving laboratory that will allow them to carry out scientific experiments with a scientific tool. The researcher is able to create specific driving scenarios, add adaptive equipment, and collect and correlate specific data related to the study. Find out more…
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