Physical and Occupational Therapy

At Tays, patients receive occupational and physiotherapy in the wards based on a referral from the physician in charge of the patient's care. Especially patients with musculoskeletal, gastroenterological, respiratory or head or spinal area diseases require occupational or physiotherapy. We also treat patients who are in intensive care or have paediatric or internal diseases.

Physiotherapy is based on an assessment of the patient's health, mobility, functional capacity and mobility limitations. Mobility or functional disorders or impairment are treated, for example, with counselling and guidance promoting functional capacity, as well as mobility therapy. The goal of occupational therapy is to enable the patient to be independent in every-day life and activities.

The physical and occupational therapy services at Tays are focused on assessments and treatment during acute phases, as well as initiating post-operative rehabilitation. In addition, patients referred from specialties are treated at the outpatient clinic.

Physical and occupational therapy at Tays

With adult patients, our operations are focused on the acute phase as well as planning and implementation of possible follow-up rehabilitation. With paediatric patients, the focus in physical and occupational therapy is on different assessments, e.g. when studying different kinds of developmental delays. The assessment and organisation of follow-up rehabilitation is also one of our core tasks with paediatric patients.

In the ward, the task of physiotherapists is to recover and maintain the mobility and functional capacity of patients. This is achieved by muscle exercises, basic exercise as well as different exercises and guidance improving coordination, balance and breathing. Different kinds of mobility aids supporting exercising are used when necessary.

With paediatric patients, the physiotherapy in the ward includes the same elements, but the guidance is additionally focused on supporting the child's different developmental stages as well as counselling the parents.

Occupational therapy in the wards involves assessment and supporting of functional capacity in the patient's everyday activities. In addition, occupational therapy utilises different measurement and assessment tools, e.g. to determine and train the client in the use and coordination of a hand.

After the ward period, some patients have follow-up visits at the outpatient clinic to a physical or occupational therapist. Hand or rheumatic surgery patients, for example, visit an occupational therapist in order to prepare individual orthoses or for control appointments. A control appointment for a physiotherapist is arranged e.g. after support back surgeries.

Usually patients arrive at physical or occupational therapy at the outpatient clinic based on referrals from physicians at Tays outpatient clinics and units.

Collaboration and division of tasks

The physical and occupational therapy staff works in close collaboration with the hospital's different units.

The Coxa Hospital for Joint Replacement, Tays Heart Hospital, neurology and rehabilitation ward as well as the psychiatric outpatient clinic have their own physical and occupational therapists. Tays Hatanpää, Tays Sastamala and Tays Valkeakoski hospitals also have their own units that are responsible for the hospital's physical and occupational therapy services.

Communication is active between Tays hospitals, basic health care and the physical and occupational therapy staff of the Tays catchment area hospitals. Collaboration is important especially in issues related to follow-up rehabilitation as the patient is transferred from Tays to follow-up care.

Special expertise at Tays

Tays has special expertise in physical and occupational therapy in the area of pelvic floor disorders, hand surgery, orthopaedics, musculoskeletal diseases, spinal injuries, cancers, as well as respiratory, internal, rheumatic and neurological diseases.

We have special expertise in physical and occupational therapy in all paediatric patient groups, as the treatment of paediatric patients is allocated to Tays.

Persons in charge

Chief Physician Timo Ruusila
Nursing Director Seija Alanen