Physical Rehabilitation and Therapy in San Diego

Physical rehabilitation and therapy treatments

If you have difficulty with balance, equilibrium or dizziness, our balance and vestibular program provides rehabilitative therapy to help improve your symptoms and give you back a capable, productive life.

Our community re-entry program provides specialized outpatient rehabilitation programs for individuals recovering from brain injury related to an accident, illness, stroke or COVID-19. These programs are specifically designed to develop and integrate the skills that enable individuals to successfully return to home, school and the community.

If you suffer from urinary or bowel incontinence due to a stroke, multiple sclerosis or a traumatic injury, we will provide treatment for your individual needs. Through education and specialized therapy, we can help you regain a healthy, active lifestyle.

As you recover from COVID-19, you may still experience lingering symptoms. These long-term effects may also be called long COVID-19 or long-haul COVID-19. Through the COVID-19 recovery program, we are here to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to address your individual needs, so you can return to a fulfilling life.

Driving is an important part of daily life. Patients who experience a severe illness or injury often wonder if they can drive again. Our adaptive driving program helps determine whether patients can safely operate a vehicle, or whether some adaptations may be needed. For more information, call 858-939-6942.

Our hand therapy program helps you regain maximum use of your hands and other upper extremities following injury, surgery or the onset of disease.

Premature infants are cared for every day at Sharp Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). Occupational and physical therapy specialists provide early therapeutic intervention to improve the developmental outcomes of premature infants. Learn more about infant rehabilitation services at Sharp.

In our lymphedema therapy program, our certified therapists teach you the skills necessary to manage your condition independently and help you get back to the activities you enjoy. Our comprehensive program treats lymphedema as well as several other conditions, including chronic venous insufficiency, fibromyalgia, arthritis and postoperative trauma or swelling caused by injury, infection, insect bites and radiation.

We understand that after microfracture surgery you need time to regain your strength. We're here to support you and work with you on your road to recovery. Learn more about microfracture surgery recovery at Sharp.

Recovering from stroke, traumatic brain injury or other neurological disorders can present a tremendous challenge to survivors and their families. A comprehensive rehabilitation program is essential to help patients return to a more functional level at work, at home and in the community. Learn more about neurological outpatient therapy at Sharp.

Neuropsychology helps adult patients with a health condition or brain injury resulting in a change in memory, thinking skills or behavior. Neuropsychologists provide evaluation and recommendations to help patients achieve the highest quality of life possible. For more information call 858-939-6942.

A blend of medical, physical and behavioral rehabilitation, our pain management services offer a unique model of treatment focused on improving your quality of life when you've been impacted by chronic pain.

We offer a variety of services to help children reach their maximum potential. Our services include speech and language therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and audiology. All patient goals are customized with the family in mind and guided by experienced professionals to assure the safety, achievement and advancement of each child. Learn more about pediatric rehabilitation services at Sharp Rees-Stealy.

We offer a specialized pelvic program designed to treat men and women with chronic pelvic pain, dysfunction and incontinence. We know how difficult it is to live with pelvic dysfunction, so our comprehensive treatment approach provides therapy and education to promote healing and self-management.

At Sharp, we're proud to offer pulmonary rehabilitation services for San Diegans, helping those who have difficulty breathing return to a productive, independent and satisfying lifestyle. Our leading-edge program provides outpatient care in a specialized rehabilitation setting.

If you have physical challenges, our sports, recreation and wellness rehabilitation program is known for its unique emphasis on helping you integrate into your community via socialization, exercise and leisure activities. We have found this promotes long-term recovery and a healthy, fulfilling lifestyle.

Our speech pathology services provide care for hospital patients and community clients alike. Pairing in-depth voice training and swallowing therapy with new technology for evaluation and treatment, our program helps improve the sound, strength and comfort of your voice, as well as any difficulties with eating and swallowing safely. Learn more about speech, voice and swallowing rehabilitation at Sharp.

Across San Diego County, our rehabilitation centers provide physical, occupational and sports therapy to people of all ages. Our highly trained staff works closely with referring physicians to address your work-related, sports-related and other orthopedic injuries, including postsurgical conditions.

Sharp combines innovative technology with traditional therapy. From the latest in bodyweight-supported gait training to computerized vision restoration, Sharp is the leader in bringing state-of-the-art technology to stroke survivors. Learn more about stroke rehabilitation at Sharp.

At ThinkFirst, specialized health care professionals and individuals who have undergone serious trauma (also known as VIPs or Voices for Injury Prevention) present an open and honest discussion about injury prevention. Our VIPs share real-life stories about how making a different and safer choice could have prevented the lifelong effects of traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury. To learn more, contact contact Juliana Cooper at 858-939-3216 or juliana.cooper@sharp.com.

YESS is a free support group for young stroke and brain injury survivors and their families. The group provides a place to come together to share information and experiences. Meeting topics include coping skills, adjustment, family and intimacy, work and school re-entry and support sharing. YESS also sponsors social activities such as adaptive sports, day trips, barbecues and community projects. For more information, call 858-939-3048.

If you require custom wheelchair assessments, Sharp's trained and certified therapists provide evaluations for both power and manual wheelchairs. We offer assessments of your lifestyle, environment and expectations; individual needs such as special push rims, one-arm drive and low-to-floor models; and can also evaluate your insurance coverage. For more information, call 858-939-6942.

Frequently asked questions

At Sharp, we offer inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation at centers across San Diego, including services at Sharp’s acute-care hospitals — Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, Sharp Coronado Hospital, Sharp Grossmont Hospital and Sharp Memorial Hospital — and outpatient rehabilitation at Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Centers.

Whether you're seeking care for yourself or a loved one, our team of experts is here to help you on your recovery journey with support, comfort and exceptional treatment.

There are two simple ways to find the right specialist for you:

Search online for a physical medicine doctor with our quick, easy-to-use Find a Doctor tool.
Call 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277), Monday through Friday, 7 am to 7 pm, to speak with one of our specially trained physician referral specialists. They know our physical rehabilitation specialists and can help you find the perfect fit.

In some cases, you will need a referral from your primary care doctor.

All Sharp programs and locations are Medicare certified, and contracted with the majority of managed care HMOs, PPOs, commercial and workers’ compensation insurance companies. Contact your health plan's member services department to confirm your coverage.

If you are an existing patient with a Sharp-affiliated physical rehabilitation specialist (meaning you have seen your specialist at least once), simply call the office to make an appointment.

At Sharp HealthCare, a highly skilled, interdisciplinary team of professionals works with you every step of the way, and views you as a partner in the development and implementation of an effective treatment plan. Our team includes:

Case manager
Oversees the rehabilitation treatment plan, acting as a single point person for family, physicians and insurance providers. Ensures timely communication through regular conferences and monitors treatment outcomes and costs.

Nurse
Provides clinical and personal care while educating patient about condition.

Psychologist and social worker
Provide counseling to support life changes and facilitate your transition home with community resources.

Rehab clinical evaluator
Consults on preadmission treatment options to determine whether services needed are inpatient, outpatient or community-based.

Physical medicine doctor
Consults with primary physician or takes on the primary physician role to direct and manage medical rehabilitation treatment.

Therapy professionals (physical, occupational, speech or recreation)
Teach techniques to strengthen functional independence in areas of mobility, activities of daily living and speech and language skills.

All programs and services are individualized with your treatment team. The team is led by a physical medicine doctor and includes nurses and physical, occupational, speech and occupational therapists. Other team members include social workers, psychologists, case managers and discharge planners. The patient and family are at the center of the team. Your team will meet at regular intervals to review your progress.

Sharp physical rehabilitation and therapy offers specialized programs for stroke, brain injury, spinal cord and other neuro musculoskeletal injuries.

Patients and families should understand that inpatient rehabilitation is different than an intensive care hospital setting. During the first 24 hours at an inpatient rehabilitation center, patients will receive an extensive assessment from various health care professionals to determine their physical, therapeutic and psychological needs. Following this assessment, and in collaboration with the patient and family, an aggressive plan of care is developed.

Once the plan of care is outlined, patients are expected to work hard to participate in scheduled therapies and educational programs. Families and caregivers are also encouraged to participate. This ensures that the patient and family receive the most from their time spent in the rehabilitation program.

Length of stay is based on each individual's treatment goals and determined by the rehabilitation team. The rehabilitation treatment team continually monitors the patient's progress and works with the patient and family/caregiver in preparing for discharge. Currently, our average length of stay is approximately 19 days. Depending on type of injury, length of stay can range from 10 to 40 days.

Sharp offers an extensive list of outpatient therapy programs and services to help patients increase functional abilities. These services are offered at our rehabilitation centers located throughout San Diego County. In addition to therapy services, Sharp offers a variety of support activities and groups to help with reintegration into community living.

To create a Sharp account, go to sharp.com/app. You can also download the Sharp app to a mobile device from the Apple Store or Google Play Store and create an account.

A Sharp account gives you secure, personalized access to manage your health and the care of loved ones from a computer or mobile device.

With a Sharp account, you can: