Copley’s Physical Therapists are licensed professionals who apply proven therapeutic techniques to help manage and improve many health conditions in order to restore optimal function.

Conditions treated include:

• Arthritis
• Back and Neck pain
• Painful and limiting conditions of joints such as shoulders and knees
• Overuse injuries
• Work-related injuries through our Work Conditioning Program
• Sports-related injuries
• Stroke/CVA
• Other neurological conditions
• Sprains, strains, and fractures
• Postoperative conditions such as total joint replacements and other surgical repairs such as ACL reconstruction and Rotator Cuff repairs
• Wounds
• Incontinence Conditions
• Amputations/prosthetic training
• Balance disorders and frequent falls
• Vertigo (BPPV)

Copley offers physical therapy in four locations:

• Copley Hospital in Morrisville
• Tamarack Family Medicine in Morrisville
• Mansfield Orthopaedics in Morrisville (aquatic therapy only)
• Hardwick Rehabilitation Clinic in Hardwick

Copley’s Occupational Therapists are licensed professionals who use therapeutic activities to help people of all ages improve their physical and cognitive life skills.

Our occupational therapists use a holistic approach to assess your needs for your home or work environment. They’ll assess your physical, cognitive, sensory, visual, motor and/or psychological disabilities, and provide training to help you return to optimal function in self-care and at work.

They’ll instruct you and family members in the use of adaptive equipment; fabricate splints to support injured arms and hands; and provide cognitive retraining for neurological impairments.

Conditions treated include:

• Arthritis
• Painful and limiting conditions of joints in the hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders
• Overuse injuries of arms and hands
• Work-related injuries and arms and hands
• Stroke/CVA
• Other neurological conditions
• Sprains, strains, and fractures of upper extremities
• Postoperative conditions such as total joint replacements and other surgical repairs

Concussion/Brain Injury Program at Copley Hospital

The Concussion/Brain Injury Program is for individuals who have experienced brain injury, regardless of age or mechanism of injury. A sampling of diagnoses could include, though are not limited to:

Traumatic Brain Injury

• Falls
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Exposure to toxins/lack of oxygen

Acquired Brain Injury

• Stroke
• Seizure disorder
• Overdose

The Copley team will address:

• Neurocognitive Assessment
• Visual dysfunction
• Communication/Language deficits
• Deficits in memory, attention, and problem solving
• Balance/vestibular issues
• Management of cognitive fatigue
• Return to school/work (Activity Modification)
• Patient and family education
• Multiple other issues relating to brain injury

Megan McCartney, OT and Certified Brain Injury Specialist, Penny Hester-Ingram SLP, and Margaret Higgins, PT have joined forces to create and spearhead this program.

Our goal is to get brain injury patients as independent and functional as possible.

Copley’s Speech Language Pathologists are certified and licensed professionals who diagnose, evaluate and treat a wide range of speech, language, and swallowing disorders.

Conditions treated include:

• Language Disorders – including difficulty making sense of the environment, comprehending spoken language or communicating thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
• Swallowing Disorders, also known as dysphagia. This usually occurs as a result of illness, surgery, stroke, or injury.
• Voice Disorders – when the quality of voice is affected, such as having a hoarse, breathy, or nasal voice, or when speech volume is too high or low.
• Speech Fluency issues, such as Stuttering, the most commonly recognized speech problem.
• Articulation Disorders – difficulties making sounds correctly. These problems may begin in childhood or may occur later in life as a result of stroke, injury, or illness.
• Cognitive Communication Disorders – common in adults after a head injury or stroke. These disorders cause difficulty in thinking clearly, remembering or problem solving.

Other Speech/Language Services Include

• Augmentative and Alternative Communication – offering new possibilities for people who cannot speak. Technology offers an array of options, including voice synthesizing computers and communication boards.
• Communication Enhancement – improving everyday communication skills, such as pitch, projection, accent and nonverbal communication.

Common Diagnostic Problems Evaluated

• Stroke/CVA
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Laryngectomy
• Head/Neck Cancer recovery
• ALS
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Autism
• Apraxia
• Aphasia
• Cleft Palate
• Dysphagia

Hand Therapists are Physical or Occupational Therapists who have additional training and specialize in the rehabilitation of patients who have had hand to shoulder injuries, surgeries or diseases that impair function and cause pain.

Copley Hand Therapy services include staff who are Certified Hand Therapists (CHT) and members of the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT).

Hand Therapists evaluate for and fabricate custom orthoses, apply modalities to relieve pain and help heal injuries and teach individualized exercise programs.

Conditions treated include:

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Arthritis
• Fractures of the upper arm, elbow, wrist, hand or fingers
• Tendon repairs
• Nerve repairs
• Finger amputations
• Surgical repairs and replacements of the joints of the thumb, hand, wrist, elbow hand and fingers
• Shoulder injuries

The therapeutic pool environment can be beneficial for patients who may have difficulty performing some components of their therapy in a land-based setting. The water environment provides both buoyancy and resistance to therapeutic activities. This may allow the progression of gait, strength, coordination and balance skills to levels that promote the performance of these activities in the functional land-based applications.

Pool Features

The therapeutic pool temperature is maintained at approximately 88-90 degrees F.

The adjustable height of the floor allows patients to enter the pool without using a ladder or stairs, and to work in the pool at different water depths.

The built-in treadmill combined with the buoyancy of the water allows patients to develop normal gait mechanics early in the rehabilitation process.

Directional jet systems can provide additional resistance and balance training.

Underwater camera provides immediate visual feedback on monitors that permit the patient and therapist to correct gait patterns and promote normal biomechanics.

Patient Requirements

Physician referral is required.

Each new patient is evaluated by one of our therapists or athletic trainers prior to starting the pool program.

• You must be safe and independent in walking on potentially wet surfaces with or without assistive devices, or be able to use a wheelchair independently.
• You must be independent in using the shower room, and independent in dressing, or you must bring your own personal care assistant.

Please tell us when scheduling if you have any skin conditions or special medical concerns.

Bring your own towels and your bathing suit. If you do not have a bathing suit, shorts and a tee-shirt are acceptable. Please keep in mind that the chemicals of the pool may change the color of clothing.

Arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment to allow changing time.

Please shower in the private changing room prior to entering the pool.

Athletic Trainers are certified and licensed health care professionals who work with athletes and the physically active. Their practice encompasses the prevention of, diagnosis of, and intervention for emergency, acute and chronic orthopedic and athletic injuries and conditions.

Athletic Trainers in Vermont provide services in the field and in the clinic setting.

Athletic Training Services at Copley utilizes our state of the art therapeutic pool, plus the clinic at Copley Rehabilitation.

Conditions treated include:

• Back and Neck Pain
• Painful and limiting conditions of joints of the arms and legs
• Overuse injuries
• Orthopedic conditions
• Sports related injuries
• Sprains, strains, and fractures
• Post operative conditions such as total joint replacements and other surgical repairs such as ACL reconstruction and Rotator Cuff repairs

Preventing Injuries

Copley Hospital also provides athletic training services to our local High Schools on the field and during practices to help prevent athletic injuries and to provide emergency evaluation and treatment if necessary.

Recognizing & Treating Concussion

Copley Rehabilitation has worked with Mansfield Orthopaedic physicians and local neurologists to develop “Copley’s Guide to Recognition and Treatment of Concussion.”

This guide is based on the standards of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), and adapted from The American Journal of Sports Medicine. Our Athletic Trainer regularly provides training in these guidelines to community coaches and athletic directors.

Copley Hospital’s Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Program helps improve your quality of life following a heart event such as a heart attack or for those diagnosed with a lung disease.

Our cardiac rehabilitation and pulmonary rehabilitation treatment programs are geared towards helping you reach a higher level of functioning through exercise and new skills to better manage your condition.

Learn more about our Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Program.

Giving women with urinary incontinence the skills they need to regain bladder control. It works by improving the strength and function of the muscles that support the bladder, urethra and other pelvic organs.

Copley Hospital’s Work Conditioning program provides therapy services from acute injury to full return to work through a program of physical therapy treatment. Work conditioning, which may include a functional capacity evaluation, uses physical conditional and functional activities to maximize the individual’s ability to return to work as safely and quickly as possible with a focus on prevention of re-injury.

Treatment includes rehabilitation, strengthening, conditioning and functional testing.

Copley’s Work Conditioning program consists of 1-2 hour sessions 3 times a week for up to 4 weeks in our hospital rehabilitation gym.

Your physical therapist will work collaboratively with you, your case management team, your physician and your employer in order to ensure an effective program and safe return to work.

What to Expect During Therapy:

You will receive an initial assessment which the physical therapist will use to design a plan to help maximize your physical function. Your treatment plan will include:

• Real simulated work tasks
• Conditioning exercises
• Education about body mechanics, safety and injury prevention, self-management

You will be required to perform postures and motions with workloads that are involved in performing job-specific tasks. We strive to simulate moves needed for your specific job duties.
At the end of the program, you may receive a Functional Capacity Evaluation.

Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE):

A Functional Capacity Evaluation (or FCE) is an objective assessment used to determine an individual’s ability to perform general functional activities or work-related tasks.

During an FCE, you will perform various activities that simulate on-the-job work while a physical therapist measures your maximal functional level.

The assessment provides crucial information in developing an effective return-to-work program as well in assessing the abilities of individuals seeking vocational rehabilitation determinations.

Benefits of an FCE include:

• Comprehensive assessment of your capacity to return to work after injury
• Identifying work site modifications for a safe and successful return to work
• An evaluation of the level of function for job retraining, should you be unable to return to the previous job

The FCE is based on the Matheson System of Work Evaluation.