Neurological Rehabilitation Department

I. Department Size

The Department of Neurorehabilitation was established in 2023 and operates under integrated, unified management of the main campus and the West Campus. It has a well-structured talent development ladder, excellent staffing, and strong professional and technical capabilities. The department has established a complete three-tier diagnostic and treatment team comprising physicians, therapists, and nurses: the physician team includes 3 associate chief physicians, 1 attending physician, and 2 resident physicians; the rehabilitation therapist team includes 1 chief therapist, 9 supervising therapists, and 6 junior therapists; and the nursing team includes 1 associate chief nurse, 5 supervising nurses, and 2 nurses.

The department has a total area of nearly 1,000 m². The West Campus has 18 open beds and a standardized rehabilitation hall of approximately 700 m² with fully developed functional zoning, including a rehabilitation assessment room; physical and occupational therapy rooms; a speech therapy room; and more than 10 other specialized functional areas. It is equipped with high-end rehabilitation assessment equipment, including a multi-joint isokinetic system, a balance ability testing and training system, and a body-weight-support suspension treadmill, as well as a complete range of physical agent therapy equipment, including a shock-wave therapy device, low-, medium-, and high-frequency electrotherapy devices, an ultrasound therapy device, and a fully automatic traction device. The rehabilitation area at the main campus is seamlessly connected with Neurology, Orthopedics, and other clinical departments, with a focus on early bedside rehabilitation treatment, and is likewise fully equipped with rehabilitation and physiotherapy equipment.

II. Diagnostic and Treatment Scope

The department has developed a diagnostic and treatment model centered on neurorehabilitation and orthopedic and sports injury rehabilitation, with coordinated development across multiple subspecialties and coverage of rehabilitation needs throughout the entire care continuum:

Neurorehabilitation: rehabilitation during the acute and recovery stages of cerebrovascular disease, facial paralysis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, peripheral neuropathies, and other conditions;

Orthopedic and sports injury rehabilitation: perioperative and postoperative rehabilitation for joint replacement, cruciate ligament reconstruction, meniscus suturing, rotator cuff injuries, fractures, and other conditions, as well as treatment of sports injuries such as tendon insertion disorders and muscle strain or overuse;

Swallowing and speech rehabilitation: dysphagia caused by neurological diseases, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and other conditions, as well as speech disorders caused by stroke, delayed language development in children, cerebral palsy, and other conditions;

Spinal rehabilitation: conservative treatment and perioperative rehabilitation for cervical and lumbar spine disorders, spinal cord injuries, scoliosis, myelitis, and other conditions;

Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation: comprehensive rehabilitation for coronary heart disease, valvular disease, chronic respiratory diseases, and perioperative cardiopulmonary dysfunction associated with thoracic and abdominal procedures;

Critical care rehabilitation: early bedside rehabilitation for critically ill patients in the ICU to prevent complications and shorten hospital stays;

Postpartum rehabilitation: systematic rehabilitation for pelvic-floor dysfunction, diastasis recti, postpartum low back pain, and postural abnormalities.

Traditional rehabilitation: the use of traditional Chinese medicine techniques such as acupuncture and tuina to treat various musculoskeletal and nervous system diseases;

III. Distinctive Features and Technical Advantages

The department is a national standardized training base for resident physicians in Rehabilitation Medicine, a 2023 science-popularization education base of the Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine, a Shandong Provincial Standardized Training Base for Rehabilitation Therapy Technology, a designated industrial-injury rehabilitation hospital in Qingdao, and an institutional member of the Standing Committee of the Physical Therapy Promotion Committee of the Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine, among other designations.

The department adheres to a multidisciplinary team (MDT) model and works closely with Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, the ICU, and the Department of Radiology to achieve early assessment, early initiation, and early intervention in rehabilitation treatment. Its core technologies are mature and comprehensive: Bobath, Rood, PNF, and other techniques are used to improve function in patients with neurological diseases; Mulligan dynamic joint mobilization and MMT muscle energy techniques are combined with multi-joint isokinetic assessment for systematic treatment of orthopedic postoperative conditions and sports injuries; specialized techniques such as videofluoroscopic swallowing studies and balloon dilation are used to diagnose and treat complex dysphagia; an integrated imaging–physical therapy–manual therapy intervention program is implemented for adolescent scoliosis; and individualized cardiopulmonary exercise prescriptions and respiratory muscle training plans are developed. Physical agent therapy has significant therapeutic effects on neck, shoulder, lower back, and leg pain, tendon insertion disorders, joint effusion, and other conditions.

IV. Research and Teaching

The department is committed to the coordinated development of clinical practice, scientific research, and teaching. In recent years, it has published dozens of papers in top-tier core journals in China and abroad, including Thorax (IF:10), Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology (IF:6), Medicine Science in Sports Exercise (IF:6.2), Sports Medicine Open (IF:5.9), Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine (IF:3.5), and the Chinese Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Department members have delivered plenary presentations multiple times at important academic conferences, including the World Congress of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine and the Chinese Medical Association Orthopedic Academic Conference. They currently participate in a General Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, lead a Science and Technology Service Project of the General Administration of Sport of China, and undertake multiple provincial- and municipal-level research projects. In total, they have trained dozens of graduate students from institutions including Qingdao University and Shandong Sport University, and they regularly undertake teaching for undergraduate and junior-college students at more than 10 institutions, including Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Second Medical University.

V. Talent Development

The department has established a systematic and ongoing talent development system and sends key staff each year to leading rehabilitation centers in China, including West China Hospital, Huashan Hospital, and Jiangsu Provincial People’s Hospital, for further training. It has established a stable partnership with the RUSK Institute of New York University. The department consistently benchmarks itself against advanced international rehabilitation standards and is committed to building a regionally leading and nationally renowned modern rehabilitation medicine center.

Editing time: 2026/6/17 13:05:52