Department of Neurology and Neurological Rehabilitation - Rehabilitation Clinic Benedictus Krankenhaus Feldafing

About the Department of Neurology and Neurological Rehabilitation at Rehabilitation Clinic Benedictus Krankenhaus Feldafing

The Department of Neurology and Neurological Rehabilitation at the Rehabilitation Clinic Benedictus Krankenhaus Feldafing offers high quality emergency care and the full range of rehabilitation measures for patients with diseases of the nervous system. Particular attention is paid to early rehabilitation, which begins during the acute period of the disease, when the patient is in the intensive care unit. It is early rehabilitation that avoids the irreversible loss of vital functions of the nervous system. The department's specialists have excellent qualifications in the rehabilitation of stroke patients. The department's therapeutic options include various methods of physiotherapy, therapeutic exercise, occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychological and neuropsychological care. The rehabilitation program is developed individually for each patient after comprehensive diagnostics, which allows for assessing his neurological status and determining the goals of rehabilitation. The Chief Physician of the department is Prof. Dr. med. Dirk Sander.

The success of rehabilitation largely depends on when the first rehabilitation measures are applied. The department's specialists are convinced that the initiation of rehabilitation at the stage of providing emergency care to a patient with a neurological disorder significantly increases the chances of maximum restoration of the lost functions of the nervous system. The accurate and high-quality diagnostics play a particularly important role in early rehabilitation, and therefore the department has cutting-edge diagnostic equipment for various studies, including electroencephalography, electromyography, extra- and transcranial duplex sonography, videoendoscopy, recording of evoked potentials and assessment of nerve conduction velocity. X-rays, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging can also be conducted, if required. The goal of early rehabilitation (phase B) is to achieve the patient's consciousness and prepare him for further phases of rehabilitation, which require interaction with rehabilitation therapists.

As soon as the patient is conscious and ready to interact with doctors, the rehabilitation phase D begins. The task of the department's specialists at this stage of treatment is to restore the patient's ability to self-care in everyday life. As a rule, initially the patient relearns to get out of bed, sit down, etc. Then rehabilitation therapists resort to methods that restore gait, fine motor skills of the hands, and gross motor skills. For this purpose, the department's doctors have various physiotherapy techniques, robotic equipment, for example, the latest generation Lokomat device for gait training, and other resources. Also, the patients receive medical care from the specialists in speech therapy, who help them get rid of speech and language impairment, swallowing disorders, and voice disorders. The department's neuropsychologists are engaged in the restoration of cognitive functions. Their areas of expertise include behavioral therapy, restoration of attention concentration, planning and problem solving skills. All rehabilitation activities take place under the strict supervision of highly specialized doctors, who adjust the intensity of therapy in accordance with the patient's needs. Depending on the specific clinical situation and the goals of rehabilitation, it can be carried out individually or in groups.

The department specializes in rehabilitation for the following neurological disorders:

• Stroke
• Traumatic brain injury
• Inflammatory diseases of the nervous system
  • Meningitis
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Critical conditions in myopathies and neuropathies
• Movement disorders of neurological origin
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Cerebellar ataxia
  • Dystonias
• Inflammatory lesions of the muscular system and muscle paralysis after neurosurgical interventions
• Diseases and injuries of the peripheral nervous system
• Other disorders and pathological conditions

The department offers the following rehabilitation measures:

• Physiotherapy
  • Walking and stamina training
  • Walking training using special simulators
  • Walking and gait training, including on treadmills
  • Balance and coordination training
  • Respiratory gymnastics and endurance training
  • Thermotherapy and mud wraps
  • Massages and electrotherapy
  • Wheelchair skills training
  • Mobility aid skills training
  • Special physiotherapy methods
    • Manual lymphatic drainage
    • Manual therapy
    • Foot reflex zone massage
    • Bobath concept
    • Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF)
    • McKenzie method
    • Affolter approach
    • Myofascial release therapy
    • Massages (classical massage, connective tissue massage, acupuncture massage)
    • Kinesiology taping
    • Craniosacral therapy
    • Nordic walking
    • Medical training therapy
    • Therapeutic exercise in water
• Speech therapy 
  • Treatment of swallowing disorders (dysphagia)
  • Treatment of speech disorders (aphasia, dysarthria)
  • Treatment of voice disorders (dysphonia)
  • Treatment of speech, language and swallowing disorders in dementia
• Occupational therapy
  • Training to restore the skills of eating, personal hygiene, dressing, etc.
  • Training to restore skills in housekeeping, cooking, shopping
  • Training to improve attention, concentration and orientation in space 
  • Training to restore fine and gross hand motor skills (innovative Bi-Manu-Track, Rehaslide, Pablo, Armeo and Amadeo stimulators)
  • Fine motor skills training
  • Mirror therapy
  • Neurologic music therapy
• Psychological care
  • Neuropsychology
    • Assessment of concentration, memory, ability to plan and solve problems
    • Assessment of suitability for driving a vehicle
  • Behavioral therapy
  • Biofeedback and psychophysiological monitoring
  • Relaxation and visualization techniques
  • Conversations with the patient about the impact of the disease on his psycho-emotional state and related assistance
• Other rehabilitation measures