Rehabilitation Medicine
Top: Therapist assists patient with hand therapy; Bottom: Therapist helps patiet with light weights. The UW Medicine rehabilitation team strives to improve function, independence and quality of life for people whose disabilities stem from illness, injury or a congenital condition. 

Patients seek our care and expertise for a spectrum of injuries, including sports and traumatic injuries that impact the brain, spinal cord or limbs. Others come to us for treatment for illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, post-polio syndrome, movement disorders and neuromuscular diseases.

Because each patient is unique, the UW Medicine rehabilitation medicine teams at Harborview Medical Center and UW Medical Center build individualized care plans that make use of new technologies and promising medical discoveries, as well as long-established rehabilitation therapies.

UW Medicine's rehabilitation specialists offer some of the best care available in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report, which ranked our program No. 3 in its 2011 “America's Best Hospitals” issue.

Our team of specialists—physiatrists, physical and occupational therapists, counselors and psychologists—is dedicated to helping people recover and discover their fullest capabilities. We address patients with compassion and respect, giving them the best chance to heal and rejuvenate their lives.
Featured Article
Treating Stress Fractures
Providers Marla S. Kaufman, M.D. , Brian J. Krabak, M.D. M.B.A.

In most cases, a stress fracture is treated with relative rest and with ice and anti-inflammatory medication to reduce inflammation and pain.

The patient should plan to stop activities that cause pain for four to eight weeks. Splinting might help immobilize a joint and increase blood flow to the extremity. Rarely, crutches are prescribed to keep the patient's weight entirely off the... Read more
Featured Provider
Karen Patricia Barr, M.D.
"Our bodies have a remarkable capacity for healing, and it is the role of the physician to enhance this as much as possible."
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Featured Video
Concepts of Pain
Pain is an adverse perception of physical, sensory and emotional dimensions. It has a major impact on the general and specific well being of an affected individual. Due to reasons that are not completely understood, individuals vary greatly in the level of pain intensity, duration and functional impairment experienced.