����������

Involved in many sports and athletic activities, David played semipro football for six years but experienced several injuries and faced major health challenges beginning in 2010. He weighed 400-plus pounds and struggled walking. After having both hips replaced (eight weeks apart) in 2024, he started physical therapy at Spaulding Outpatient Centers at Kent Hospital in Rhode Island, part of Care New England. David says physical therapy has “completely changed” his life: “ — before it was dark.”

Kent Hospital’s Spaulding Rehabilitation teams offer inpatient and outpatient services, caring for patients recovering from sports injuries, stroke, traumatic brain injury, amputations, concussions, Lyme disease, Parkinson’s disease and more. A multidisciplinary team is led by a physiatrist — a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation — and includes health professionals from physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, rehabilitation nursing, social work, neuropsychology, nutrition and respiratory therapy, depending on a patient’s needs. The team works to help patients regain strength, mobility and independence and considers patients and their family members as an integral part of the journey.

In addition, the Pawtucket, R.I., location provides a range of physical, occupational and speech therapy services for children, from newborns to teens. Therapists work closely with parents or guardians and the child’s primary care physician to assess a child’s needs and goals and create a specialized treatment program. Christine Brewster, an occupational therapist at Spaulding Pediatric Rehabilitation, says may include helping infants with feeding issues, working with toddlers to improve and refine their motor skills, and helping older children develop more sophisticated interpersonal skills to foster friendships and participation in groups and on sports teams.