Your Guide to Choosing a Spinal Rehabilitation Center

Resources for Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Center Selection

Finding the right spinal cord injury rehabilitation center is one of the most important decisions you will have to make in the near future. It is important to be confident about the quality of care you or a loved one will receive when entering a spinal cord injury rehabilitation program.

All spinal cord injury rehabilitation programs have features that can be evaluated, regardless of your prior knowledge of rehabilitation or catastrophic injury. The final decision about a spinal cord rehabilitation center will ultimately depend upon individual circumstances, such as insurance and location.

Questions to Ask Potential Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Centers

• What is your facility size and treatment capacity?
• Can you share outcome-based statistics?
• What specific counseling and therapy services do you offer?
• What role does family play as a support system?

The questions you ask a spinal cord injury rehabilitation center may vary depending on the level of injury and unique needs. However, there are several considerations that will help you determine if a spinal cord injury program is right for you or a loved one. 

To help in the evaluation process, Shepherd Center provides a list of questions you may want to ask as you research spinal cord injury rehabilitation centers, available as a PDF download.

In general, it is best to compare at least three spinal cord rehabilitation programs to make an informed decision on the best spinal cord injury treatment center for your loved one. Hear a health care professional talk about the decision-making process involved with evaluating spinal cord injury rehabilitation programs. Listen to our podcast interview with Shepherd Center Medical Director Emeritus Donald P. Leslie, M.D., as he discusses how to choose a rehabilitation center for paralysis and spinal injuries.

Learn more about living with paralysis – from getting the call that your loved one has been transported to a trauma center to spinal cord injury rehabilitation therapy. Download Restoring Hope: Preparing for Rehabilitation After Spinal Cord Injury, a joint educational publication produced by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and Shepherd Center. The Spanish version is also available for download.

Learn How to Become a Patient

Spinal Cord Injury Program Contacts:

Interested in learning more about Shepherd Center’s spinal cord injury rehabilitation programs for inpatients or outpatients? Contact us today. We are happy to help answer your questions.