Department of Rehabilitation medicine

Introduction

The Saitama Medical Center was opened on June 14, 1985 as the second University Hospital for Saitama Medical University. Our Department of Rehabilitation became independent in 1997 and still is. The basic policies of our department are:

1. Conduct patient-first medical care,
2. Provide the best rehabilitation medicine,
3. Foster excellent medical personnel and staff, and
4. Contribute to local medicine.

Rehabilitation medicine is a study that deals with disability, and the wide range of target diseases are not just strokes and bone and joint diseases such as back pain, arthrosis deformans, and bone fractures, but also includes peripheral nerve disorders due to spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, and diabetes, etc., degenerative diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, and Parkinson's disease, etc., muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophy, heart diseases such as myocardial infarction, and respiratory diseases such as COPD, as well as ingestion/swallow difficulty after thoracotomy and laparotomy surgery.

Recently, rehabilitation of cancer patients has also increased. The five major diseases designated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in the 2013 healthcare plan were cancer, stroke, acute myocardial infarction, diabetes, and mental illness, and rehabilitation is involved in all these diseases. The number of rehabilitations is steadily increasing every year, and the rehabilitation staff is also being increased every year. Currently, we have two full-time rehabilitation physicians, 47 physical therapists, 17 occupational therapists, and 9 speech therapists, and we are proud to be one of the largest university hospitals in the country.

Also, as a university hospital, we concentrate not just on treatment, but also on education, as well as clinical training instruction and education for many students every year. In addition, we present research to national conferences and the post theses to a lot of journals. Our department (division) focuses on rehabilitation, from the ultra-acute stage to the acute stage, and we are constantly striving to provide comprehensive and safe medical care.

Patient care at our department

1) Specialty Outpatient and Unique Outpatient

• Orthotics examination (every Tuesday morning by reservation only)
  A specialist, therapist, or a specialized orthotist will determine the fit and create a suitable orthotic for the person.
• Prosthesis and prosthetic examination (every Friday from 15:30 by reservation only)
  The specialist, the therapist in charge, and the specialist prosthetist will determine the fit and then they will create prosthetic limbs suitable for the person.
• Botox outpatient (every Tuesday or Friday by reservation only)

2) Contact information for the outpatient clinic overall

• Questions for the Department of Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic, Tel. 049-228-3686
• Questions about rehabilitation training, Department of Rehabilitation training room, Tel. 049-228-3529

• The general outpatient clinic is available from Monday to Saturday mornings except on Sundays and public holidays. However Saturday is by reservation only.
• For those who will visit us for the first time or who haven't visited us for a while, please complete the front desk process by 11:00 am.
• For the outpatient clinic, the 2nd time or after visit is by reservation only. If you do not have a reservation, you will not be able to be seen for rehabilitation treatment on that day. Please be aware of this.
• If you have a family doctor, please bring a referral letter and X-rays.
• If you have medications, please bring the drugs or the paper explaining the drugs.

Main diseases

Rehabilitation medicine is a study that deals with disability, and there is wide range of diseases and areas to deal with. The areas covered by this department are as follows:

• Area 1: Stroke and other brain disorders (brain trauma, etc.)
• Area 2: Spinal cord injuries, other spinal disorders (e.g. spina bifida)
• Area 3: Rheumatoid arthritis and other osteoarthritis (including sports trauma and orthopedic surgery)
• Area 4: Cerebral paralysis and other children's illnesses
• Area 5: Nerve and muscle diseases
• Area 6: Amputation
• Area 7: Respiratory and cardiovascular diseases
• Area 8: Other (malignant tumors, burns, thoracotomy/laparotomy surgery, etc.)

Target Symptoms

(The following symptoms are one example)

• I'm unable to walk around because of paralysis of the limbs.
• I can't say anything.
• I make a lot of mistakes and can't do my job well.
• My limb muscles are tight and difficult to move.
• I use a wheelchair because my lower body is paralyzed, but I want to practice walking with my orthotics.
• My foot is deformed because of rheumatism, and I get wounds easily.
• I was diagnosed with developmental delay of movement.
• I was diagnosed with developmental delay of language.
• I have a walking disorder due to nerves and muscular illnesses, and I'm stumped by the orthotics and walking aids.
• I want to use a prosthetic arm or a prosthetic leg for my amputated limb.

Treatment results

Medical staff

Outpatient clinic

To the Medical Institutions

Patient referrals to the Department of Rehabilitation Outpatient are accepted from Monday to Friday mornings. Please inform your patients so that they can be accepted between 8:30 am and 11:00 am. In addition to providing their medical information, please lend us your reference materials, such as images and data.

Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy in the outpatient department are conducted according to the actual circumstances of our staff. We appreciate your understanding that we may not necessarily be able to carry out the outpatient rehabilitation for the patients you refer to us in our hospital.

Questions: the Department of Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic,
Tel. 049-228-3686