An East Central Texas facility of the U.S. Army helps as many as 1,100 patients per month after they've undergone various medical procedures for ailments, according to a published report.
Dr. Patrick Smock, a hand surgeon with the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, routinely sends patients on whom he operates to follow-up procedures with the facility's occupational therapy clinic, The Killeen Daily Herald reports. That's where they find the assistance offered by people holding occupational therapy jobs that is so helpful in returning them as close as possible to where they were prior to the injury that prompted surgery.
"Occupational therapy can retrain and re-educate the nervous system," Smock told the news source. "Almost all of my patients interact with occupational therapists at some point. They kind of go hand in hand, no pun intended."
Occupational therapy assistant Chris Belieu is a student who is fulfilling an internship at the facility. Also a sergeant, Belieu said improving range of motion is the first important step for patients. Follow-ups include sand and resistance clays to hone motor skills and sensation.
The facility also hosts the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic, which was founded in 2008 to serve patients with head injuries.