9 Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers in the US

Passing through a period of illness or trauma is one of the hardest challenges in life. After the initial period of treatment, in which the immediate crisis is dealt with, you’ll be starting down the road to recovery, usually via some form of physical rehabilitation. Physical rehabilitation centers exist in order to guide you during the recovery process and, considering the relative length of time you can spend in therapy after a major health crisis, rehabilitation might be the most important part. Whether you visit an inpatient or outpatient clinic, finding the right physical rehab center is of critical importance to your long-term recovery. Bad therapy, insufficient therapy, or rehabilitation centers that are understaffed might do more harm than good, making it all the more important for you to find the best physical rehabilitation centers available in your area.

1) Shepherd Center – Atlanta, GA

First on the list of the best physical rehabilitation centers is the Shepherd Center, of Atlanta, GA. The Shepherd Center has been treating patients since 1975 and is currently set up to house 156 patients at a time. Every year, over 1,500 patients pass through the center’s inpatient program, and another 6,600 patients seek on an outpatient basis. The center, which is a not-for-profit foundation, has adopted a strict focus and specializes in physical rehabilitation of neurological and spinal patients. This specialization puts them in the satisfying position of being able to attract some of the best talent in the nation. This is the physical rehabilitation center to go to for spinal damage, degenerative neurological disorders, and recovery after brain surgery. The numbers bear out their reputation, as the Shepherd Center enjoys one of the highest return-to-home, and return-to-work, ratios in the country.

2) MossRehab – Philadelphia, PA

MossRehab, in Philadelphia, PA, also specializes in spinal and neurological physical rehabilitation. Unlike Shepherd, however, MossRehab doesn’t focus on a single discipline. The facility, ranked among the ten best in the nation for physical rehabilitation by US News and World Report, is set up to treat neurological disorders, such as stroke, aphasia, mobility issues arising from spinal trauma, and more. It also has a reputation as one of the best physical rehabilitation centers in the Philadelphia area for patients recovering from amputations, orthopedic disorders, and surgery. The physical rehabilitation center offers physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. It even offers a sports rehabilitation program for injured athletes.

3) Rusk Rehabilitation Center – New York City, NY

Dr. Howard A. Rusk is widely regarded as having been the father of modern physical rehabilitation medicine. Today, the facility he founded in 1948 bears his name. The Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (as it’s been known since 1984) is now spread across multiple locations in New York City and accepts patients from all walks of life. This institute treats just about any physical rehabilitation issue you could name. Being one of the first facilities of its kind in the world has given the Rusk Center a crucial head start over other centers. Its world-class staff is capable of providing long-term care for neurological injuries and disorders, orthopedic physical rehabilitation, burns, aphasia, and cognitive or sensory disorders caused by damage to the brain and spinal cord. In addition to this already impressive portfolio, the center is also proud of its commitment to restoring patients to a normal life by using prosthetics, providing aural therapy for people with cochlear implants, and even offering driving lessons for newly disabled people who want to get back on the road. Rusk was also the first physical rehabilitation center to routinely offer treatment to children with disabilities.

4) Craig Hospital – Englewood, CO

Craig Hospital, in Englewood, CO, lacks the prestigious reputation of the Rusk Institute, but it more than makes up for it with a vigorous approach to treating spinal and neurological injuries. The facility is a not-for-profit physical rehabilitation center that’s achieved a nationwide reputation as the go-to place for post-op, post-trauma, and congenital disability physical rehabilitation. Indeed, the 93-bed facility treats so many out-of-state patients every year that the center has found it expedient to provide accommodations for visiting families. Popularity aside, the quality of the physical rehabilitation Craig Hospital provides has set the pace for the western region since rankings began in 1990. More than anything else, the secret of the hospital’s success lies in the team-oriented approach to physical rehabilitation that Craig has practically made a trademark. Not only does the physical rehabilitation center integrate care across a number of medical specialties, and not only does it also integrate the levels of care, from practitioner to nursing to allied health, but the center also brings in your family, your friends, community members, and fellow patients to create a web of support that’s as large and robust as you would want. The hospital does everything it can to provide effective physical rehabilitation to patients.

5) Spaulding Rehabilitation – Boston, MA

The Spaulding Rehabilitation Network in Massachusetts is also a great choice for anyone who needs physical rehabilitation. This network, also ranked as one of the best rehabilitation centers by US News and World Report, maintains a constellation of six inpatient physical rehabilitation centers and over twenty outpatient outreach facilities. As the official teaching partner of the Harvard Medical School Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding certainly has a reputation to uphold. It does this by reaching out across a comprehensive network of hospitals, research centers, and graduate study programs to apply the very latest in physical rehabilitation theories into the practice of physical medicine.

6) Mayo Clinic – Rochester, MN

The quality of care you’ll get at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, MN, is so renown that it has become a cliché. When you’re looking for a quick reference for the highest level of medical care you can think of, the Mayo Clinic pops into your mind unbidden. There’s a reason for its stellar reputation. The Mayo Clinic is consistently rated as being one of the best medical facilities on Earth, and people from all over the world clamor to go there for treatment. The physical rehabilitation center in Rochester takes advantage of its affiliation with the larger Mayo network (the actual clinic consists of three hospitals in southwestern Minnesota) to bring the best in physical rehabilitation, neurological care, and aftercare, including hospice and end-of-life care. Mayo has satellite locations around the country that can continue to provide its standard of care after you return home.

7) University of Washington Medical Center – Seattle, WA

The University of Washington Medical Center was an early adopter of the physical rehabilitation model for subacute care. Its physical rehabilitation center was founded in 1957 and has been serving the Seattle area ever since. As a teaching facility, the UWMC is able to bring its large staff of experienced rehabilitation and orthopedic medicine specialists together with an eager crew of interns and medical students, which has the effect of enlarging the pool of available staff still further. The UWMC even offers a PhD. program in Rehabilitation Science, making it one of the more desirable locations for ambitious young therapists to seek training. With an emphasis on research, the center keeps on the cutting edge of physical rehabilitation theory by partnering with the NIH and other granting institutions to develop newer and more effective treatments for orthopedic, neurological, and occupational medicine.

8) TIRR Memorial Hermann – Houston, TX

TIRR Memorial Hermann, is the premiere physical rehabilitation center in the Houston area. It’s the official teaching unit of the Baylor College of Medicine, and it draws some of the best talent in the field. TIRR offers above-average physical rehabilitation for traumatic brain injury as well as common orthopedic care. This physical rehabilitation facility also offers treatment to patients with multiple sclerosis, helping them to improve their overall quality of life.

9) Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago – Chicago, IL

Topping the list is the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC). The RIC provides revolutionary physical rehabilitation to thousands of patients every year. The institute covers a broad range of cases, including brain and spinal cord injuries, stroke rehabilitation, pediatric care, cancer rehab, sports rehabilitation, back and spinal care, arthritis, and even women’s health. The RIC has consistently been ranked first among the best physical rehabilitation centers in the US since 1991.