Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Program
A spinal cord injury does not change who you are at the core – you still have the same desires and goals; you still laugh at the same jokes and experience the same emotions. While that hasn’t changed, you now need to learn new skills and tools to accomplish your goals. You have the ability to develop a new path in life. A nationally recognized leader, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Program offers a comprehensive rehabilitative approach to build these skills and maximize your independence.
Leading a Productive, Independent Life
RIC is the Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Model System
We have been designated a Model System of Care by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, one of only 14 centers in the nation with this distinction. This designation reflects our commitment to advancing abilityTM through technologies and advanced care models and assures you that your or your loved one’s rehabilitation is at the forefront of discovery.
The spinal cord is a pathway along which nerves transmit information between the brain and the rest of the body. An injury to the spinal cord impairs movement and sensation, resulting in the inability for some people to walk or use their arms. Sometimes breathing, sexual function, and bowel and bladder control also may be affected. Whatever the cause or severity of your spinal cord injury, our goal is to help you develop skills and strategies for living life to its fullest. Every year, we help more than 500 patients with spinal cord injuries from around the world do just that.
Individualized, Collaborative Care
Your team of spinal cord injury experts will be led by a physiatrist – a doctor who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation – and may include nurses, clinical social workers, psychologists, occupational and physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, and other specialists. Together with your family and rehabilitation team, you will set appropriate goals and work to achieve them. Your injury is unique, and your treatment will be too.
Our therapists use state-of-the-art rehabilitation tools including body-weight supported treadmill training, robot-assisted walking therapy and aquatic therapy in RIC’s pool. RIC researchers are working on new developments, giving patients early access to cutting-edge treatments.
Discover More Possibilities with RIC's Second Look Program
Even if you received care for a spinal cord injury many years ago, you may be looking for additional options for achieving more goals in your rehabilitation journey. RIC's Second Look is a program offered at RIC for people with all levels of spinal cord injury including those using ventilators -- a periodic, comprehensive, medical and rehabilitation evaluation and care management update that will help them achieve their best life possible.
Find out more about Second Look and If You Qualify
Making an Appointment
Have your physician write a referral for an RIC physician consultation. Then contact RIC at 800-354-REHAB to schedule an initial evaluation.
If your loved one is currently in a hospital or skilled care setting, ask the case manager at the facility to initiate a referral to RIC.
