Through cutting-edge research that directly impacts patients by restoring functionality and improving quality of life, the Department of PM&R continues to evolve and expand. We currently provide specialty care in the following areas:
- Two adult inpatient rehabilitation units
- One adult subacute rehabilitation unit
- Two pediatric rehabilitation units
- Outpatient rehabilitation care (sports and musculoskeletal medicine, diagnostic ultrasound and electrodiagnostic services) at multiple outpatient locations
- Neuropsychological testing at two outpatient sites
- Rehabilitation consultation at VCU Hospitals and several sub-acute facilities, including nursing homes and a long-term acute care hospital
We are committed to providing care for military service members and veterans, and the Department of PM&R partners with the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) to treat patients. Providers on our team also treat patients at multiple locations within the VCU Health System and at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond (CHoR).
Our dedicated team strives to maximize the quality of life for all our patients and provide compassionate, comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care and rehabilitation services across the following specialties:
Striving to maximize the quality of life for patients with amputation, the Department of PM&R provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care including pre-prosthetic care and education and prosthetic evaluation and prescription.
Patient services and training opportunities include pre-prosthetic care and education and the evaluation and prescription of prosthetics.
Our inpatient and outpatient brain injury care and rehabilitation programs emphasize the enhancement of quality of life by improving functional independence, increasing participation in social activities, preventing further injury and providing education in health maintenance.
We’re proud that VCU’s brain injury program and the polytrauma program at the VAMC are both TBI Model Systems of Care, as designated by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
In self-contained units we treat adult and adolescent patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) from events such as falls, gunshot wounds, assaults and car accidents. We also provide care for those with non-traumatic brain injuries from causes such as aneurysms, hemorrhages and brain tumors.
Services and training opportunities include the following:
- Medical management of persons with brain injury
- Mobility and self-care retraining
- Cognitive therapies
- Psychological services for adjustment
At VCU Medical Center and the VAMC, we provide neuropsychology and rehabilitation psychology services to patients ages six and older with TBI, stroke, brain tumors, spinal cord injury, learning disabilities, dementia and other neurological disorders.
Our healthcare providers treat based on a thorough evaluation of each patient’s unique needs and goals and provide support and educational information for individuals, families and professionals. We also conduct innovative, patient-focused research to improve care and advance the understanding of neurological disorders.
Patient services and training areas include:
- Supportive individual psychotherapy
- Family support, counseling and education
- Marital therapy
- Behavior management
- Stress management and relaxation
- Academic disability documentation
- Academic planning, counseling and consultation
- Vocational planning and re-entry
Representing the culmination of evidence-based and knowledge-based medicine to accurately diagnose and treat spinal disorders and injury, our program encompasses original spine research, efficient clinical dispensation of spine medicine and fellowship-level training.
Learn more about our fellowship
Patients are enrolled in a comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic algorithm to rapidly improve their level of functionality and properly address their spine condition.
We take a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach in providing care for our patients and hands-on training for our fellows in comprehensive diagnostic evaluations and therapeutic spinal interventions.
We provide comprehensive inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation care for patients with Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative conditions.
Richmond is home to one of five Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers (PADRECC) established in 2001 as an effort to improve care for veterans and pursue a cure. The PADRECC provides access to innovative strategies and treatment interventions to improve functional ability and overall life satisfaction, plus opportunities to participate in cutting-edge research intended to lead to more effective treatments and a cure for Parkinson’s disease.
Services for patients and training opportunities for physicians include the following:
- Multidisciplinary assessment and treatment
- Clinical trials
- Physician consultation
- Medical management
- Surgical interventions with deep brain stimulation
- Neuropsychological services
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Speech therapy
- Nursing services
- Telemedicine
- Caregiver resources
- Educational materials
- Community education programs
- Patient and family programs
- Support groups
The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation provides comprehensive outpatient care for young patients at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond (CHoR) at VCU. We strive to maximize the quality of life for children with activity limitations by improving functional independence, increasing participation in social activities, preventing further injury and providing education in health maintenance.
CHoR is a specialty pediatric facility that provides services centering on the diagnosis and treatment of myriad medical conditions. We provide specialty clinics for children in areas such as the following:
- Concussion and TBI care
- Cerebral palsy
- Muscular dystrophy
- Spasticity
- Spina bifida
- Spinal cord injury
In 2003, the Center of Excellence for TBI at the VA Medical Center, one of four in the country, became a Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center to care for those with severe combat wounds.
The center has since expanded from an intensive inpatient rehabilitation center and includes the entire continuum of rehabilitation care for those with TBI. This includes the following programs:
- Emerging Consciousness Program, dedicated to those with disorders of consciousness
- Polytrauma Transition Rehabilitation Program, to promote successful community reentry
- Servicemember Transitional Advanced Rehabilitation, which provides a vocational rehabilitation experience
- Polytrauma Network Site, with a TBI outpatient team
- Regional Amputee Center
- Assistive Technology Program
Patient services and training areas include:
- Medical management of persons with polytrauma
- Mobility and self-care retraining
- Cognitive therapies
- Psychological services for adjustment
Utilizing the expertise of SCI-trained physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, recreation therapists, speech and language pathologists, social workers, rehabilitation psychologists, rehabilitation nurses, wound care specialists and dieticians, we offer an intensive, interdisciplinary program caring for patients with SCI.
Learn more about the Spinal Cord Injury Medicine Fellowship
Services available to patient and training opportunities for physicians include:
- Medical management of persons with SCI
- Mobility and self-care retraining
- Individualized therapy programs
- Psychological services for adjustments
We receive support from the Gerry Bertier #42 Foundation, a nonprofit organization with the goal to raise awareness and support for SCI patients, therapists and doctors at VCU with a commitment to improve hope, functionality and quality of life.
Our sports medicine programs enhance quality of life for patients by improving functional independence, increasing participation in sports activities, preventing further injury and providing education in health maintenance.
In collaboration with Bon Secours St. Francis Family Medicine, each year we accept one trainee into our Sports Medicine Fellowship.
Learn more about the program here.
Training opportunities and services available include:
- Medical evaluation and management of sports-related injuries
- Surgical intervention
- Individualized therapy programs
- Compartment testing
- On-field sports experience
We work closely with business associations and corporate partners to analyze barriers to employment, with policymakers and state governments to develop innovative service delivery systems and with rehabilitation service providers and people with disabilities to determine the best practices for increasing the employment of people with disabilities.
Services available to patients include:
- Employment planning
- Vocational assessment
- Job development
- Customized employment
- On-the-job training and support
- Work incentives counseling
- Recruitment and retention support
- Education and technical assistance
The Department of PM&R provides consultation services to community nursing facilities to maximize the quality of life for persons who have experienced illness or injury. With research expertise in post-acute care, hospital readmissions and public health, we offer consultation to healthcare entities on care cost and utilization.
Services and training opportunities include:
- Medical management of an individual’s impairment
- Mobility and self-care retraining