Each year, we help hundreds of individuals like you, who are navigating challenges from paraplegia, tetraplegia, and dual diagnosis involving both spinal cord injury and concurrent brain injury. Our Adult Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Program provides comprehensive care under one roof, so you can focus on your recovery without the stress of transferring between facilities.
The care you receive after a spinal cord injury plays a crucial role in shaping your long-term recovery and independence. At Shepherd Center, we specialize in treating even the most complex cases, delivering personalized, comprehensive care at every stage of rehabilitation.
As the only freestanding rehabilitation hospital with an onsite ICU, we seamlessly integrate critical care, advanced medical management, and rehabilitation. This unique approach helps reduce secondary complications and achieve extraordinary outcomes for our patients.
The average age of adults in our inpatient program is 41.
The average length of stay for inpatients is 62 days.
After rehabilitation, 92.8% of our patients successfully return to the community.
Your recovery journey starts with care tailored to your unique needs and goals. After transitioning from critical care, you’ll engage in 3–5 hours of intensive, personalized therapy daily, focusing on building strength, restoring mobility, and boosting confidence to help you begin again. Some highlights of our program include:
Our integrated approach combines physical, occupational, and speech therapies to help restore strength, balance, and mobility, regain independence in daily tasks, and improve communication, swallowing, and cognitive abilities.
For patients with respiratory challenges, our specialists provide specialized therapies to improve lung function, breathing capacity, and overall respiratory health. This may include exercises, adaptive equipment, and techniques to help with ventilator weaning.
Our psychologists, counselors, and chaplains guide you and your family through emotional adjustment, building resilience, and creating strategies for long-term well-being.
Explore adaptive sports, arts, hobbies, and community outings to reconnect with your passions while promoting physical and emotional health.
Our assistive technology specialists evaluate your needs and provide cutting-edge solutions to enhance independence. This includes custom wheelchair fittings, adaptive tools, and technology to assist with communication, mobility, and daily living.
Chris Wooten, North Carolina
Spinal Cord Injury
Watch More Stories of HopeOur inpatient rehabilitation program incorporates cutting-edge therapies to support your recovery and maximize your independence.
This advanced system combines gradual upright positioning with robotic-assisted movement to boost circulation, stimulate muscles, and promote early recovery of mobility. Ideal for the early stages of rehabilitation, Erigo® therapy helps prepare your body for more intensive therapies.
Using state-of-the-art equipment, this therapy focuses on retraining walking patterns and improving mobility. By engaging your nervous system in repetitive, task-specific movements, locomotor training strengthens neural connections and helps restore functional walking abilities.
Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) cycling uses gentle electrical currents to activate your muscles, helping them contract and move. This therapy improves muscle strength, circulation, and endurance while reducing atrophy and spasticity.
Experience the benefits of water-based therapy, which provides a low-impact environment for building strength, improving flexibility, and enhancing mobility. Aquatic therapy is especially effective for managing pain and restoring balance and coordination.
Your family plays a vital role in your recovery journey, and we’re here to ensure they feel confident, informed, and supported. Through hands-on training, education, and access to support networks, we prepare your loved ones to navigate the complexities of spinal cord injury care, helping them understand your recovery process and their role in it.
For families of newly injured patients who live more than 50 miles from our main campus, we provide donor-funded housing, allowing your family to be present during this critical time.
For those ready to advance beyond 24-hour care, our specialized continuum of care provides the next phases in your recovery journey. Our Spinal Cord Injury Day Rehabilitation Program offers coordinated therapy up to five days a week. This program focuses on community reintegration and achieving functional milestones with the support of a multidisciplinary team. For ongoing support, we also provide single-visit options through our outpatient clinics, ensuring you have access to the care you need as you progress.
As the largest freestanding neurorehabilitation hospital in the U.S., Shepherd Center has been a trusted leader for over 50 years. Our compassionate care, groundbreaking therapies, and commitment to patient goals set us apart.
Shepherd Center is a Spinal Cord Injury Model System Center, recognized by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. Accredited by The Joint Commission and CARF, we uphold the highest standards in healthcare and rehabilitation.
From inpatient rehabilitation to outpatient therapy and lifelong wellness programs, we support your journey, helping you transition home, return to work, or achieve new milestones.
Our patients consistently achieve superior outcomes, regaining independence and confidence as they re-enter their communities.
Through our Virginia C. Crawford Research Institute, we remain at the forefront of neurorehabilitation advancements, giving patients access to cutting-edge treatments, technologies, and clinical trials.
We are dedicated to improving your quality of life after a spinal cord injury. As a national leader in spinal cord injury rehabilitation and research, we offer comprehensive, personalized programs designed to support your recovery and help you regain independence.