Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Overview
The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of Wuxi No.2 People’s Hospital(Jiangnan University Medical Center) was established in the 1960s. Specializing in neurological rehabilitation and the treatment of neck, shoulder, lower back, and leg pain, the department was the first in the province to introduce multi-directional traction bed technology for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation, and the first in the city to adopt the concept of a neurological rehabilitation ward for the very early rehabilitation of patients with neurological injuries. After years of development, it has now become one of the most technologically advanced and well-equipped rehabilitation departments in Wuxi’s comprehensive Grade III-A hospitals and serves as the Demonstration Center of the Rehabilitation Research Institute at Soochow University. The department currently consists of two main components: a specialized rehabilitation outpatient clinic and an inpatient ward. Both the North and South campuses feature rehabilitation outpatient clinics and treatment lobbies, with specialists available during fixed weekly hours. The inpatient ward is located on the 10th floor of the North Campus and has six beds. It is equipped with a functional assessment room, an exercise therapy room, an occupational therapy room, a physical therapy room, a speech therapy room, and a rehabilitation treatment hall. The department is equipped with advanced medical devices, including an intelligent thermal traction system, the German moto-MED intelligent limb trainer, a computerized speech therapy system, a dysphagia therapy device, a low-frequency pulsed magnetic therapy unit, upper and lower limb joint rehabilitation devices, a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) unit, and a pelvic floor magnetic therapy device. The department has a staff of 14, including 2 chief physicians, 1 associate chief physician, 1 attending physician, 1 resident physician, 3 senior rehabilitation therapists, 4 rehabilitation therapists, and 2 professional nurses. Five staff members hold master’s degrees or higher.
Treatment scope
Specializes in neurological rehabilitation (stroke rehabilitation, traumatic brain injury rehabilitation, Parkinson’s disease rehabilitation, spinal cord injury rehabilitation, speech disorders, swallowing disorders, cognitive impairments, coma recovery, and peripheral nerve injuries), as well as rehabilitation for neck, shoulder, lower back, and leg pain (cervical spondylosis, lumbar spondylosis, sports injuries, fasciitis, and chronic pain), musculoskeletal rehabilitation (osteoarthritis, post-fracture), pelvic floor rehabilitation (diastasis recti, urinary/bowel dysfunction, urinary incontinence, pelvic floor muscle weakness), and rehabilitation for systemic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and respiratory diseases.
Technical advantages
Our current specialized rehabilitation programs include: very early- and mid-stage rehabilitation for stroke patients; comprehensive rehabilitation techniques for severe traumatic brain injury, including consciousness-promoting therapy, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, and limb rehabilitation; speech therapy for various types of aphasia and articulation disorders; physical therapy for facial nerve inflammation; acute-phase diagnosis and treatment of cervical and lumbar disc herniation; comprehensive postpartum pelvic floor rehabilitation for women; joint stiffness following orthopedic surgery, and rehabilitation interventions for sarcopenia in the elderly. Our diagnostic and treatment techniques are at the leading level within the city.
Research achievements
The department possesses strong teaching and research capabilities, with several staff members certified to provide standardized residency training in physical medicine and rehabilitation. It serves as a clinical training site for the Rehabilitation Therapy program at Nantong University of Science and Technology. Currently, the department oversees undergraduate clinical rotations for rehabilitation therapists and provides clinical training for nurses specializing in rehabilitation, orthopedics, and neurology. Over the past five years, the department has published more than 10 medical papers and co-edited one medical textbook.